The Guardian's Kitsune
by Kyuubi16
Summary: Uzumaki Naruto, apprentice to a traveler aids the Guardians of the Veil in their fight to keep the realms safe and balance their lives between duty, responsibility and love. From meeting Will in Fadden Hills to the final battle, this is their journey. NarutoxWillx?. OcxSusan. The image is done by Dragonrider626 of this site and Deviantart. No Longer part of the Unleashed series.
1. Heatherfield! Rewritten!

The Guardian's Kitsune

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Naruto x ?

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Author's Note

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Every previous incarnation of this fic was part of the Unleashed Series. Now at long last it's finally its own standalone product with a background I like and can stand. Thank you all for accepting this final and perfect version.

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Story Start

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Wilhelmina Vandom woke up with a gasp. A flurry of images bombarded her Psyche. She then groaned and clasped her right eye in pain. On her face she sported a nasty looking black eye.

''Honey? Are you okay?'' Her mother, Susan Vandom asked. The driver was a beautiful woman in her mid-thirties dark shiny raven locks and beautiful tan. Though, her features were marred due to the fact that her cheek was swollen while like her daughter her lip was split too.

''I'm fine...just a bad dream,'' The red hair tomboy lied. Memories of that night once again filled her memories. It had been over a week and that night was still fresh in her mind. Fadden Hills a place that held terrible memories for both of them. Thomas, she wouldn't even refer to that man as father who almost killed her mother. The same woman, who worked two jobs to support them when that drunkard lost his job.

If 'he' hadn't had come to save them there was no telling what would have happened that night.

They were on their way to a new town where they could make a fresh start. Starting soon, her mother was going to be working at a company by the name of Simultech, an industrial software-developing company on the outskirts of the town they were driving to Heatherfield.

Unfortunately a storm was going on overhead, not to mention it was night-time wasn't the best time to be driving. ''We'll be okay, right mom?'' The red hair girl asked concerned. Will didn't get along with the relatives on her father's side of the family. Her grandfather was the owner of the company which died along with him.

Her aunt on his side was this famous lawyer and it concerned Will that Thomas could get out of jail.

The money brought into the home was managed by Vandom Matron who invested it in several stocks and a college fund for Will. The Vandoms weren't exactly what one would call wealthy, but they had more than enough money to cause a bit of problem for people who crossed them.

Though, the downturn that the economy had experienced lately had hit everyone pretty hard.

It would take weeks for her mother to make sure that the investments couldn't be touched by Thomas or the other Vandoms. Until then the two didn't have too much money. Besides some clothes they managed to grab and some essentials.

''Of course we will sweetie. While you were sleep I got a call from Kuiinshi and he wired me some money. We're more than set for a while.''

Will smiled a small smile. Kuiinshi, it was the name of the older step-brother of her only real friend. The only person in the world she could consider a friend. That didn't think she was some frog freak.

''How much longer until we get there?'' Will asked softly, her mind still elsewhere.

''Another hour or so.''

''Oh...ok. Mom, I'm sorry."

''Honey I wish you stop blaming yourself. It's not your fault he was the way he was sweetie. So don't ever be sorry about something you couldn't do anything about.'' She declared with all her honestly and love for her daughter. She hated that her daughter's self-esteem was so low and that was thanks to her bastard of an ex-husband and that town. A town that wasn't all too welcoming to those they considered outsiders. The only decent people were some townspeople here and there, mainly their neighbor and his younger brother. In a year's time her daughter would be turning sixteen.

This year was initially going to be the best year of her daughter's life. Even in the baggy red tee-shirt and jeans one could see the red-head would grow into a beautiful woman someday. She was a bit pale, freckles on each cheek, and not to mention soft brown eyes that held much kindness in them.

Eventually they arrived at the apartment complex. Putting up their hoods they got out of the car and began taking out there things. Once box Will picked up ripped from the bottom. Will sighed as her mother pulled her into a hug.

''Excuse me...are you Mrs. Vandom?'' Called a voice from the door of the complex. The person was a man in his early thirties wearing a black bath robe.

''It's Miss Vandom,'' Susan corrected. ''And yes...I'm not too late am I?''

''No...oh and don't worry about any of the bills or electricity. It's all been paid for along with this and next month's rent.'' The man said as Susan stood there a few moments, a mixture of shock and confusion.

Susan nodded, a small smile gracing her features. After nearly twenty minutes they were able to get everything in. Both found themselves quite surprised by the fact that the place was so nicely furnished. Some of these things looked brand new. On the table was a fruit basket with a card.

'Hope you enjoy your stay. I left a few papers on your nightstand with some things marked. Oh and Naruto wanted me to tell Will he says Hi. Anyway Suzy-cat hoping to hear from you soon. " Susan rolled her eyes as her smile got bigger. Why did he insist on calling her something so corny and...seventies was it? You dress up as a hippie chick for one party and people never let you forget. Kuiinshi, a true friend...of course there was this joke around that they were something more which only tend to fuel her ex-husband's drunken rage.

It didn't help that Will was really close with Kuiinshi's young ward Naruto either.

Will, meanwhile was going through every room of the apartment, amazed that everything looked so new and clean. She got her answer when her mother showed her the letter.

_'Naruto?'_ A sad smile covered her lips. She was missing him already.

''I'm sure we'll see them soon Will. Knowing those two there probably already on their way driving for a visit.''

''Yeah,'' Will responded with hope in her voice. ''Is there anything to eat?'' Will asked as they walked into the Kitchen. Sure enough the fridge as well was quite stocked.

''I swear...if I didn't know any better I say that man was trying to buy our love.''

''If he is, he certainly isn't getting off at a bad start.''

The two shared a laugh at this. Susan was glad to hear her daughter's laughter again. It had been too long. Both of them had dinner and took a shower. It was nice to wipe off all the grime and such from such a long drive. They then unpacked their pillows and sheets.

''Goodnight Will...'' Said kissing her daughter's cheek.

''Night mom,'' Will mumble and yawned. Susan cut off the light and exited Will's new/temporary room and prepared to catch some sleep of her own.

Tomorrow would be the start on the new day of the rest of their lives.

It was so cold, the frigid air sending chills throughout the young red haired girl's body as she hugged herself to warm herself a little. Why did it feel like she was completely naked? Cracking her eyes opening she saw the reason behind that feeling as she was one hundred percent naked. What the hell was going on and for that matter where was she? It looked like she was trapped in a tear shaped crystal that was hovering in the clouds which was swirling violently from what appeared to be hurricane force gales of wind and the torrential downpour of rain.

"Where am I?" Will screamed, "Mom!"

All of a sudden the crystal shattered dropping her unceremoniously to the surface of the clouds which seemed like ground as she landed roughly with a sharp gasp as it jarred her sore rib cage. Huddling there she tried to see anything but the severe weather was actually starting to force her back before a loud beeping startled her.

Sitting up with a cry Will found herself in her bed. She noticed the time on her alarm clock. She was going to be late for school. A few days had passed and her mother had registered. Hopping into the shower and throwing on a pair fresh of clothes Will grabbed the copy of the apartment key her mother made and was out the door.

Taranee Cook walked into the court-yard of her new school. She cringed as she looked at the sign looming over the entrance...a big, green archway that read 'Sheffield Institute.'

_'Institute.'_ Taranee still wasn't used to that word. She remembered when her parents had told her the name of her new school.

'Oh Yeah,' Taranee thought, rolling her eyes behind her tiny, round specs. 'That was just before they made me pack up my entire life and move to a new city where the air always smells like salt water and the sidewalks are overflowing with skinny fashion models.'

_''The Sheffield Institute's one of the best private schools in Heatherfield,''_ her mother had said, nodding briskly.

_''You're putting me in an institution?''_ Taranee had wailed back.

Turned out, a lot of schools in Heatherfield were called institutes. It was just one more way this city was totally different from Sesamo, Taranee's 'real' hometown.

She shivered as she wended her way toward Sheffield's front door, tiptoeing around the puddles still left over from that thunderstorm the right before. It had been a wicked downpour.

Taranee must have spent an hour watching the lightning bolts zapping the ocean just beyond her bedroom window. With every strike, the lightning had seemed to inch a bit closer to her new cliff side house. But from some reason, Taranee had barely flinched.

'Scared of fire?' She thought. Not even. Scared is knowing that the tofu stir-fry Mom packed for me will be reeking by noon. Which means the stylish Sheffieldians will have yet another reason not to sit with me at lunch. The first reason being, of course, that they don't know I'm alive.'

Taranee hopped around another puddle. But for all the leftover rainwater this morning, one would never know the storm had happened. The sun was shining and the sky was so blue it didn't look real. A contrast to the usual weather Heatherfield had experienced the past few days.

Streams of kids were trotting up the school's stone steps all were wearing the latest fashions.

Just looking at all those strangers laughing and shouting hello to each other as they rushed into the school made Taranee shiver again. It was only her third day of school, and she was already dreading it. She yanked the cuffs of her orange turtleneck over her hands and gazed up at the Euro-style pink stucco building, complete with a mottled green copper roof and a big clock.

A big clock that read 8:00. As in two minutes till she'd be late for history class.

By the time she made it into Sheffield's main hallways, most of the kids had rushed off to class. Taranee caught her breath and made a dash for the big marble staircase. She was just about to launch herself on the bottom step when she skidded to a confused stop.

''Oh man...'' she whispered. ''I have no idea where to go!"'

After only two days at Sheffield, Taranee realized, as dread swirled in her stomach, that she still hadn't mastered the maze that was her class schedule.

She tore open her kente-cloth book bag and began pawing through it. Tofu in Tupperware. Lip gloss. Eyeglass cleaner. Two shiny, new notebooks. And her schedule? Nowhere to be found.

Just when Taranee was breaking into a cold sweat, she heard the familiar clomp-squeak-clomp-squeak of frantically late sneakers behind her.

She glanced up to see yet another stranger. But this one was a skinny girl with half a dozen cowlicks in her red hair.

She looked lost, too. The girl dug her schedule out of her jean pockets and blinked at it. Then she spun around looking for an arrow, a trap door, a sign from the heavens...anything to save her from the dreaded first day of school.

Taranee knew this all too well, being a recent new student herself.

Taranee grinned as the girl stomped her green sneakered foot in frustration.

''How to get to room 304?'' she answered. ''Hope to get promoted out of room 303, maybe.''

The girl's skinny shoulders hot up to her ears as she spun around to stare at Taranee. Taranee tried to act casual. She didn't want the new kid to think she was too excited to be making real human contact or anything.

''Two days ago, I had the same look on my way,'' Taranee said, tossing the longest of her randomly assorted, beaded braids over her shoulder. ''I'm new too. My name's Taranee.''

''Nice to meet you,'' The girl said quietly. Slowly, her shoulders unclenched themselves.

''I'm Will.''

Taranee felt herself thrill inside. 'New-Friend moment,' she thought. Totally worth being late to class.

''Would you please explain what you're still doing out here in the hallway, young ladies?''

Taranee cringed, and Will's shoulders shot back up to her ears.

''It's the principal,'' Taranee whispered to the terrified newbie, as the source of that very angry voice bustled towards them. ''Mrs. Knickerbocker."

'Ugh! Being late to history class,' Taranee thought. That's no biggie. But a discipline session with Sheffield's big cheese? Taranee tried to think of the things she rather do. Drink warm milk? Run a three-minute mile?

Ugh. Taranee shuddered. ''Okay, even doing time with Mrs Knickerbocker s better than that,' She thought.

Mrs. Knickerbocker stalked around the School with her ample chest thrust out before her and her even more ample backside swishing from side to side with terrifying force. It reminded Taranee of the swirling brushes of a street sweeper, dead set on riddling the hallways of filth (otherwise known as loitering students).

And then there was Mrs. Knickerbocker's hair. It was fascinating...towering, shellacked pompadour. Snowy white. As translucent as spiderwebs. It was definitely one of the wildest old-people oddities Taranee had ever seen. She couldn't help staring at the stiffly glistening beehive as Mrs. Knickerbocker pointed a plump finger toward the east hallway.

'Oh yeah,' Taranee suddenly remembered.

'That's where my history class is...''

''Lessons have already begun,'' Miss Cook,'' Mrs. Knickerbocker sputtered. ''Straight to class.''

Taranee was one step ahead of her. She'd already spun around and begun hurrying away. She glanced over her shoulder as she slunk down the hallway.

'Poor newbie,' she thought, watching Will grin nervously up at the principal. 'I wonder what lunch period she has?'

''As for you...'' Mrs. Knickerbocker was saying, leering down at Will.

''M-m-my name is Will Vandom, ma'am,'' Will said, flashing the woman with the widest, fakest cheesy grin Taranee had ever seen. She liked Will already. ''I think I'm a bit lost.''

''Miss Vandom,'' the principal announced. ''We're off to a bad start. ''

Taranee sighed as she saw Will's chin drop to her chest. She knew 'exactly' how the new kid must have felt: gawky, nauseatingly, please-let-the-floor-open-up-and-swallow-me bad.

'Come to think of it,' Taranee thought as she finally located her history class and walked inside, that's just about how I feel right about now.

Taranee gave an embarrassed little wave at the twenty-one pairs of eyeballs that were, well, eyeballing her as she stumbled through the door. She looked wildly around the room, searching for an empty desk.

Luckily, there was one right behind two girls she already recognized. She had two other classes with them. They usually sat in the back of the room, the better to keep up their constant, whispered gossip sessions. Taranee was a little suspicious of he sassy early bloomer with the tousled, brown hair and pug nose, but she liked the Asian kid with the kooky clothes. Today...the kid was using a pair of green, bubbly goggles as a head-band. The goggles clashed with her fuchsia sweatshirt in the most brazen away. She was beyond cool.

''Better late than never, Miss Cook,'' Mr. Collins called out from the blackboard. Even from the back of the room, Taranee could see his thick, red mustache twitching with amusement.

''Students are always welcome here,'' he continued. ''Especially on days when there's a pop quiz!''

''A pop quiz?'' the earl bloomer cried. ''Yesterday you said there would a be a review!''

''I lied,'' Mr. Collins said, skulking down the aisle with another mustache-shimmying smile. He leered with vampire like glee at the girl and said,''you should know by now, Irma, that we history teacher teachers are mean by nature.''

The Asian girl giggled and gave the early bloomer, Irma, a wink.''

''I thought that was only math teachers.'' she piped up cheerfully.

Irma meanwhile, was pouting big time. She slumped on to her desk and whispered. ''This is just plain 's completely different.''

Taranee sank into her desk chair and searched for her history book in her book bag. Actually, she felt grateful. In one fell swoop, Irma had shifted all the attention away from Taranee and on to herself.

Perhaps more attention than she'd bargained for.

''Why so upset?'' Goggle girl whispered to Irma. ''Doesn't your spell work anymore?''

Taranee blinked. Spell?

''What on earth are you talking about?'' she muttered, narrowing her blue eyes to malevolent slits.

''Oh, come on,'' Goggle girl said, giving Irma's shoulder a playful nudge. ''I mean rigging the quizzes.''

''Did you say 'rigging the quizzes'?'' Taranee whispered over Irma's shoulder. As soon as the question left her mouth, she gritted her teeth. 'Way to go,' she thought. 'As if I don't have enough black marks with Knickerbocker today. Now I have to walk into the middle of a cheating scandal.'

Of course Irma's reaction was no surprise. She whirled around and clamped her hand over her friend's grin.

''She didn't say anything over her friend's grin.'' Irma's said, somehow managing to glare at Taranee and Goggle Girl in one sweeping motion. ''She just like the sound of her own voice.''

''Rmmph,'' Goggle girl gasped, before she squirmed her face out of Irma's palm. A second later, Irma unleashed a piercing yowl. She snatched her hand away from Goggle girl and starting shaking it around. She wiped it on her sweater with exaggerated disgust. Then she waved it high in the air.

''What's going on back there?'' Mr. Collins yelled.

''Mr. Collins!'' Irma yelled back. ''Hay Lin bit me!''

Taranee stifled a snort of laughter while Hay Lin fiddled with one of her long, glossy pigtails and fluttered her eyelashes innocently.

Clearly, Mr. Collins knew how to play dumb, too. Ignoring Irma's bite marks, he simply homed in on her hand.

''That's a raised hand,'' he said. ''Congratulations Irma. I needed a volunteer, and it looks like I've found one.''

''Burn!'' Taranee whispered to herself. She'd learned the antique dis from Peter, her surfer-dude brother. And never had it been truer than at this moment.

As Mr. Collins began to ponder his quiz question, Irma's injured hand started trembling. She sank into her chair.

''B-b-but that's not fair,'' she squeaked.

Hay Lin just giggled again and turned to Taranee.

''Watch and learn,'' she whispered from behind her hand. She wore a glittery purple ring that sparkled in the fluorescent light.

''When Irma's quizzed, first she gets angry. Then she gets desperate. Then she shuts her eyes tight, crosses her fingers...''

''Shut up!'' Irma snapped.

''That would be 'angry,' Taranee thought.

''I haven't studied at all.'' Irma whined to Hay Lin. ''All I know is a little about Stone-age.''

Then Irma did just as Hay Lin had predicted. She laced her fingers together, clenched her eyes shut, and began chanting.

''Ask me about Charles the Great,'' she breathed in a rush. ''Please-oh-please please-oh-please-oh...''

Hay Lin continued to narrate to Taranee.''

''See? And if there's only one single thing she's studied, that's exactly what the teacher is going to ask her about,'' she said. ''I don't know how she does it. All I know is that it works every time.''

Tarane was...totally confused. So, it wasn't cheating that Hay Lin was talking about. She was saying Irma had...what? Some psychic power? A voodoo spell? A chunk of kryptonite hanging from her neck?

All three girls stared hard at Mr. Collins as he scanned his textbook.

''Hmmm.'' he said. ''Let's see here,'' Mr. Collins muttered with Agonizing casualness.

''Charles the Great,'' Hay Lin whispered impishly.

''Irma Lair...'' Mr. Collins began.

''Charles the great,'' Irma pleaded in a hoarse whisper.

''Why don't you tell us,'' Mr. Collins demanded finally,'' about Charles the Great?''

''Yes!'' Hay Lin cried, bursting into loud laughter. It would have been a sure detention getter if Mr. Collins hadn't been so focused on Irma.

Irma, meanwhile, practically clapped her hands with glee as she launched into a long, show-off speech about Holy Roman emperor.

Not that Taranee listened to a word. She was too busy freaking. Maybe had she much more to fear from this curvy in-crower than school yard snubbing.

'Maybe...' Taranee thought. But before she let the idea form fully in her mind, she shook her head hard enough to make her braids click together.

What was she thinking? That Irma, with her hippie, flower-power jewelry was...magical?

''New,'' Taranee muttered, slumping back in her desk chair with yet another shiver. ''That's just not possible.'' She thought to herself. It wasn't possible…was it?

When Sheffield's final bell rang, Cornelia Hale looked down at her notebook page.

It was blank.

There was a physics test in three days, and Cornelia hadn't taken one note. In fact, she'd heard not one word of Mr. Temple's lecture.

_'Where have I been for the last fifty minutes?'_ Cornelia wondered, blinking sleepily as she began to put her notebook and pens into her magenta messenger's bag. A long lock of blond hair fell over her eyes, and she shook it away impatiently.

_I wish my hair wasn't so straight, _she thought irritably, shoving the lock behind her ear even though she knew it would slither back into her face in about three seconds.

And then Cornelia felt a chill. Suddenly she realized where the past hour had gone.

She'd been doing it again.

'It' had begun so gradually, Cornelia couldn't even remember when it had started. In fact, she didn't really know what 'it' was. Not exactly. But she remembered the first time she'd been aware of it.

She'd been in English class. Martin Tubbs had been droning on about the symbolism of the night in Huckleberry Finn. Cornelia had sighed heavily...leave it to four-eyed Martin to find something obscure, then analyze it to death.  
_  
__I wish it was night now,_ Cornelia had thought wearily. '_Then this whole, lame school thing would just be a distant mem...''__  
_Huh?

Just over her head, Cornelia had heard a sputter, then a pop. And then the classroom had gone dark.

Their teacher, Mrs. Nelson leapt out of her chair.

''There must be a blown fuse,'' she'd said, going to the classroom door and looking out the window. ''Although...that's funny. Ours seems to be the only classroom without light. Sit quietly, and I'll go get the janitor.''

Of course, the class practically threw a party when Mrs. Nelson left. There was 'nothing' like a reprieve in the last ten minutes of an excruciating English lecture. Cornelia had gotten up from her desk with a big grin and done a few stretches. Being a figure skater, she craved constant motion. Then she'd loped over to her friend Elyon's desk to show her the new lip gloss she'd bought the day before.

But, behind her happiness, Cornelia had felt a tiny kernel of unease. She'd glanced up at the dark, slightly hissing fluorescent lights. And a tremulous, almost silent voice in the back of her head had whispered, ''Did I do that?''

That's when she'd suddenly remembered the broken pencil that seemed to have sharpened itself, the bell that had rung just a few minutes early, the boy who had smiled at her _just _when she had willed him to.

And just now, during her physics lecture, Cornelia realized with a start, something even stranger had happened. She'd been staring out the window, gazing at the green-red leaves of a maple tree as they fluttered in the breeze. But then the leaves had begun to swirl around form shapes. First she'd seen a squirrel. Then the face of a cute guy winking at her followed by her little sister, Lilian, sneering. But when Cornelia had wished to see the cute boy again, there he'd been.

Part of Cornelia knew that, somehow, she was making these things happen. But most of her, the real her, the one who got things done instead of daydreaming her days away, managed to shake the knowledge from her head every time it wormed its way in.  
_  
__'It's not true,' _she told herself. '_Not true, not true, not true...impossible.'_ She listened to enough physics lectures to know that.

Cornelia knew what would clear these thoughts from her head immediately...people. She headed out of the classroom to join the throng of kids in the hall. Most of them were already slamming their locker door shut and running, not walking, toward every available exit door.

Cornelia noticed several people...most of them boys...glancing her way as they passed by. She shrugged it off. She knew she was part of Sheffield's Infielders. As opposed to Outfielders, as the school's rebels and misfits were known. Or the dreaded Snufilupigi...invisible to all.

So, she was popular...big whoop. Cornelia didn't put too much stock in it. She knew who her real friends were. Friends like Elyon, whom she'd just spotted down the hall. She was plodding slowly down through the crowed, looking even more wistful than usual.

Just as Cornelia started to wave to her, she was swept up into a whirlwind of Hay Lin and Irma.

''Ha! I can't believe it! You did it again!'' Hay Lin teased her friend.

''Hey, it's a secret! You can't tell everyone.'' Irma said, glaring at Hay Lin, whose slouchy jacket was falling off her skinny shoulders as usual.

''What can't she tell us?''

''Cornelia!'' The lithe girl exclaimed. ''The remote control quizzes. She did it again.''

Cornelia hid a tiny smile by turning to open her locker.

_'Remote-control quizzes? She think she's big shot, but she's a just a beginner. If she only knew what I can do...''_

For an instant, her mind flashed upon the cute, brown-eyed boy with the flouncy hair who'd appeared in the swirling leaves outside of her class window. She felt as if she'd seen him before. Perhaps in a dream...

Then Cornelia shook her head sharply.

'Impossible remember?' She admonished herself. She scowled into the mirror hanging inside her locker door, narrowing her blue eyes to slits. She then slammed her locker door shut and spun around in time to see Hay Lin waving at an African American Girl in an orange turtleneck and a cockeyed assemblage of beaded braids.

''See you tomorrow,'' Hay Lin called to the girl.

''Who was that?''

''Her name is Taranee. One of the new arrivals. The other one in class with you and Elyon right.''

''Yeah,'' Cornelia said, noticing that Elyon had finally made her way through the throng and reached them. '' I think her name's Will. Ask Elyon! She always has all the news.''

''Hi girls.'' Greeted the sandy blonde girl. Her hair was short with the exception of two braids in the front and her eyes were a pale blue.

The four girls were making their way out of the school.

'Look at me,'' Irma said. Then she nodded and glanced at Cornelia and Hay Lin.

''I've already seen this face before,'' she said.

''Me, too,'' Cornelia Joke. ''It was in a documentary about the Easter Island!''

In response Irma pointed to Elyon's frown with both fingers on both side of the girl's face.

''Oh, no, no, no Cornelia!'' Irma said, contradicting her as usual. She ducked behind Elyon and pointed at her wan expression with mock concern. ''I recognize a 'flunked' look when I see one. And I say that what we have here is a big, fat, hair 'F'!''

Elyon yanked herself out of Irma's clutches and glared at her.

''All right, already!'' She said through gritted teeth. ''I got a bad grade in math satisfied?''

Irma held up her arms pumped. ''Of course I am! Because you know what that means?''

''PUNISHMENT!'' Irma and Hay Lin cried out with an enthused cheer.

''Aaw, come on!'' The girl complained. ''You could look the other way just this once!''

''The law's the law, Elyon! You know the rules of the group!'' Cornelia stated.

''And for a really terrible grade, we need something really nasty...'' The brown haired girl as she started to think.

Suddenly, Cornelia had a stroke of genius. She gave Elyon a sidelong glance and then put on a puzzled look.

''Hhm, it's strange, though I thought that matt-ematics was your favorite topic.'' Cornelia teased her friend.

Elyon stopped in her tracks and gasped. ''Leave Matt out of this!'' The younger girl exclaimed.

The others decided to join in on the teasing.

''Of course!'' Hay Lin said, bouncing tauntingly in front of Elyon. '' He'll be your punishment! You'll have to ask him to study with you!''

''Begging and Pleasing!'' Irma added.

Hay Lin put her fists on her boy hips and swung around to face Irma.

''Let's get this straight, Irma! Either she begs or she pleads!''

''She should beg! I said it first!''

''What about if we make her beg pleadingly?''

''That's silly!''

''But it's a compromise.''

''Good luck, Elyon!'' Cornelia said as Elyon slumped over in defeat. Then she turned and left and followed the Institute's wrought-iron fence down the side walk.

As she strolled along, feeling the breeze ripple her long lime-green skirt, she gave a little sigh. The change in season always made Cornelia a little sad, especially when summer gave way to fall. Cornelia couldn't help taking it a little personally when the trees lost their leaves.

She knew it was silly, but she felt for those threes in the winter, all bare-limbed and damp and chilly. They seemed so...vulnerable. Leaves were like insulation, like the cozy, blue turtleneck she'd put on for her bike ride home.

A girl's yell jolted Cornelia out of her daydream.

_'Okay, time to ditch the vulnerable thoughts,_ she said to herself._ 'Something's going down by the bike rack.'_

Another's girl's voice, shrill as a bird, joined the first. Cornelia sped up.

_'What's going on over there?_' She wondered angrily.

As she rounded the corner, she saw one of the girls...Taranee, the new kid in the orange sweater. Crouching on the sidewalk next to Taranee was the other new girl...Will.

And they were both glaring at...ugh, Uriah's gang of thugs. Greasy hair, lots of its, tattered skate duds, and a collective I.Q. of about 22.

_They'd be the terror of Sheffield if they weren't so uncreative,' _Cornelia thought with a sigh._ As is, they're just a major pain in the neck.'_

This time , the thugs had tangled a bunch of bikes into an elaborate knot. Cornelia had seen it all before. But she wasn't sure if Taranee could handle it. 'She'd seemed pretty timid in the hallway.

''Did you guys do this?'' Taranee demanded while Will yanked at one of the bikes angrily.

'Oh,' Cornelia thought, _I guess she can hold her own._

''Hee-hee!"' Kurt squealed. He was the tubby one with the scuzzy brown hair. He and Laurent, with his blond buzz cut and barrel chest, were two dumb, giggling peas in a pod.

''Looks like somebody's going to be walking home today!'' he teased.

Cornelia couldn't help noticing that Nigel, the only halfway presentable member of Uriah's crew, stood by silently. He issued no taunts, no name-calling. In face, he looked a bit bewildered.

Kurt, on the other hand, was laughing so hard he was snorting like a pig. His fuzzy brown eyes waggled tauntingly at the new girls.

''So, you think that's funny, do you?'' Will growled.

''Could be,'' Kurt bellowed. Then his eyebrows started wiggling...in a different way. He leered at Will.

''You're new here, aren't you?'' Uriah said. ''You're cute!''

''And you're the same old lamebrain, Uriah!'' Cornelia burst out as she stepped over to the gang and tapped their leader on his bony shoulder. He spun around and stared at her, giving her way too close a view of his oily chin, his over-gelled red spikes, and his pimply nose. Cornelia threw her shoulders back and returned to stare. She pointed at Uriah and then pointed at her blue bike, which was twisted around Will's red one.

''Is that my bikes in the middle of that mess too, Champ?'' she asked him threateningly.

He scrunched his face into a snarl and blurted out, ''So deal with it! Let's move, guys.''

'Cowards,' Cornelia thought, as the gang scurried after Uriah, guffawing and elbowing one another in the ribs before they disappeared around the corner.

Apparently like most losers they got their kicks from picking on those weaker than them.

''That was just Uriah and his cronies. Just ignore them...My name is Cornelia. Taranee right?''

''Yeah nice to meet you...''

Meanwhile Will was trying to adjust her bike. The bikes were being tampered with by the wanna be thugs and as a result Will's seat came off of. ''What about you? Will isn't it?''

''Uum...yeah,'' The red-head answered uncertain. She was still uneasy about this new place. After discovering her friends hated her and that her father was paying them off so she wouldn't stick out and 'embarrass the family name'.

''You're coming to the costume party in a few days right? It's going to start at 8?''

''I'll keep that in mind...'' Taranee replied.

''Who knows...maybe I see you before then...see ya.'' The blonde said with a friendly smile as she untangled her own bike from the mess and waved goodbye, taking off on her bike.

''Hey so...'' Taranee turned around to see Will was already on her way.

''Well...bye.''


	2. Birth of the Guardians!

The Guardian's Kitsune

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Naruto x ?

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Author's Note

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I've finally took time to really know what I want to do with this fic. Fixing up some things and making some major changes. I decided to make this part of the large multiverse of Naruto x w.i.t.c.h. fics I am making.

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Story Start

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Will arrived home, wanting to do nothing else but just crawl into her bed and sleep. Everything seemed so bright and cheery. So...fake. Life wasn't all rainbows and sunshine. Life thought her that much. To her surprise her mom was back already.

''Mom? Isn't today your first day of work?'' Will asked as Susan looked up from the stack of papers she was organizing.

''There was a bit of a problem with my papers and my employer is trying to work it out. Everything should be clear in a few days. Anyway it looks like we've finally settled in. Let's go out to eat and celebrate.''

''Okay...but where should we go?'' since they were new in town it wasn't like they know of any decent eatery.

''I'm in the mood for Chinese. In fact, one of Kuiinshi suggestions Kuiinshi sent us was about this nice Chinese Restaurant called the _Silver Dragon, _she said the food was full of _heart_ and had great _atmosphere._ So what do you think?''

"Okay." Maybe getting something to eat would keep her mind of her stray thoughts.

"Good, let's go, I'm hungry." Susan said smiling as they went to shower up and put on a fresh pair of clothing.

Will had nodded off once again. Even if the drive to the Silver Dragon wasn't long way it felt like a life time. She started to remember a happier time. She remembered just hanging out with Naruto and spending time with him.

_The two of them were curled up on a couch watching a movie. They were enjoying a bowl of popcorn when Kuiinshi walked by. ''Heading to join Susan for tea. Now you two don't go off and make her a grandma or I'll never hear the end of it."_

_''Will you just go!" Naruto snapped at his guardian who cackled wildly as he left the house. "Uugh, he can be such a pain." _

_Will felt like she was going to die of embarrassment. Kuiinshi always teased the two of them about being a couple. The two of them were just best friends, even though she kind of wish they were more._

_''We're here..._'' Will heard as she woke up memories still clouding her mind. Of how she came home and found her battered and unconscious mother on the floor. A bottle in Thomas's left hand and a gun in his right. Accusing the both of them being sluts and whoring themselves out. How he started beating her only to get away and be chased her into the bathroom where she locked herself in and called the police.

Hearing the sound of a struggle and things breaking outside. Seeing Naruto and her father get into a struggle and watching her friend beat that drunken bastard half to death. How she couldn't stop crying the whole time. Though the one thing she would never forget despite how much she told herself her mind was playing tricks on her was Naruto normally cerulean eyes turning crimson and demanding for Blood.

They soon entered the restaurant and we're greeted by an older woman who had a blissful smile adorning her face and a green kimono.

"Welcome to the Silver Dragon, I'm Yan Lin." Yan Lin said, "Table for two?"

"Please and thank you." Susan said before the older woman lead them through the crowded masses near the back of the room where there weren't many people sitting them next to them.

Will had some Stir Fry with Garlic and Tomato Sauce while Susan Steamed Fish with yellow beam sauce.

What caught Will's attention was one of the servers. A girl about her age with long twin ponytail rings. She was wearing a pink skirt and top with goggles perched on top of her head. She seemed to casually chat up several of the customers with a friendly smile. She seemed full of energy and cheerful. She seemed...nice. Will shook away the thoughts as her cheeks pinked a bit.

It was then the two girls came in. Both she recognized from one of her classes. That Mocha color was the one she met in the hall. Taranee if she remembered correctly. The other girl wasn't as...slender as the others. She had wild, wavy brown hair and aqua colored eyes and was wearing a red tee shirt and a pair of blue denim jeans. Will was a bit jealous as the girl had a more noticeable bust then hers. Her mother told her that she was just a late bloomer and to give it time, but that people were always complementing Susan and saying she should be a model.

''I hope you don't mind that I brought a friend Hay-Hey. I met her at the mall.''

''Not at all...Hi! I'm Hay Lin what's your name?'' The petite girl asked cheerfully.

''I'm Taranee...''

Will found that she was listening to the conversation but not listening. She noticed it started weeks ago. Weeks before the move. She started hearing voices...and hearing things. The most embarrassing was when she was hanging out with Naruto and his TV started talking to her. God! She could remember all the perverted things it was saying. Complaining about how they wouldn't get it on. Out of all the personalities a TV could have, let alone having a personality at all a perverted one would throw anyone for a loop.

''Excuse me...you are the Vandoms are you not?'' Han Lin, the person who took their orders asked.

''Yes?'' Susan responded unsure.

''You know of one Kuiinshi right?''

Susan shook her head and shuffle, ''Why am I not surprised?''

''Aah yes...he's an unusual one that one. He wanted me to give you this?'' The older woman said handing her two notes.

_Dear Suzy-Kat,_

_I can't say much without going into a long monologue and such. I want you to keep this a secret. Naruto and I will be showing up in Haddenfield shortly. You know I can't live my life without you girl. Anyway there are some things I wanted to talk to you about. I'll try to give you a call once I get into town._

Yours Eternally, K

.

Meanwhile Will was reading her letter.

_Hey there Froggy-chan,_

_I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you sooner. That I didn't notice didn't piece together the clues sooner. I just hope that you'll be able to continue forward. With a new location you can begin again you know. I know the betrayal of those false friends is still fresh, but don't let it keep you from making new bonds. Bonds after all are one of the most important things there is. Anyway if there is anyone you can trust on being a good friend is Hay Lin. I've met her a few times and she seems genuinely nice. I'll be seeing you soon."_

_Until we meet again, N..._

''Hey...doesn't she go to our school?'' Hay Lin asked the other two girls.

''Yeah...her name is Will,'' Taranee replied.

"Want to go say hi?" Irma asked.

''Should we? It looks like there have a mother, daughter night and I hate to interrupt.''

''I heard they move into the apartment complex in that part of town.''

''Really? I heard that place was pretty worn down and just recently came under new management.''

''Well I know what it's like to be on hard times and new. Maybe we can befriend her?''

''It isn't because you guys feel sorry for me is it?'' The girl asked causing the others to nearly jolt up.

"Y-You heard us?" Hay Lin asked turning red from embarrassment.

"Well you guys were far from being subtle. If you're going to pity me I don't need or want it.''

''Calm down...we weren't trying to offend you or anything. We just want to be friends so do over? I'm Hay Lin by the way.'' the grinning girl introduced herself as she held out her hand.

This must have been the Hay Lin, Naruto was talking about. ''Will...my name is Will Vandom and that's my mother over there.'' She said pointing to Susan who was chatting with Hay Lin.

"I'm Irma Lair and this is Taranee Cook." Irma said coming up behind them.

"We really are sorry if we offended you." Taranee added.

"This is great; you're already making some new friends." The older woman said returning from her trip from the restroom. "I'm Susan Vandom." She introduced herself in a friendly manner.

"I'm Hay Lin and this is Irma Lair and Taranee Cook." Hay Lin said.

"Would you girls like to join us, I think I have enough on me." Susan said going for her purse.

"We will if you let the house take care of it." Hay Lin smiled.

"Honey, I don't think they would appreciate that." Susan said.

"Nonsense, any friend of my granddaughter is welcome here." Yan Lin said bringing the Vandom girls' desert plates out. "Are you girls ready to eat yet?"

"Sure Missus Lin." Irma brightened.

"Fate smiles brightly on you today Granddaughter." Yan Lin said, "Two new friends."

"Yep." Hay Lin said beaming brightly.

"I insist for paying though, it's only right." Susan said.

"I won't hear of it young lady, think of this as a welcome to town gift." Yan Lin said pulling two cards handing one to Susan and one to Will. "There is a five-hundred dollars on each of those cards for here."

"I can't." Susan said surprised.

"You can and will." Yan Lin said smiling, "Now enjoy your dinner." The woman said as she left her daughter and step-son to finish servicing the customers.

Another day had passed and it continued to pour in Haddenfield. Will and Irma were hanging out until the rain eventually subsided. Now that the rain had stopped for the time being Will could be on her way home. Saying her goodbye to the Mocha skin girl she began her way home on her bike. She was still trying to decide her costume idea. Because of her lithe stature she thought about wearing some like a jogging suit.

As she was riding her bike she caught sight of herself in a mirror, but it wasn't her. The will in the mirror was anything but a girl, more like a woman. She had will's same mop but straighter, chunkier...cooler. It seemed to flutter perfectly in the breeze that wasn't there. And her body, her figure was definitely enhanced. This fantasy will had curves at every spot where Will had angles and flat planes. Will's too long, baggy Adidas pants and red t-shirt had been replaced by a tight, belly-button-baring purple top with bell-shapes sleeves. And her long, muscular legs were wrapped in blue-and-turquoise-striped tights and amazingly rad, knee-high boots.

Her backpack, though she could still feel the straps looped around her shoulders, had disappeared from her reflection. And in its place were...wings.

They looked more flowery than feather thin, dark stalks dotted with delicate, translucent petals. As will stared, the hinges undulated slightly, swayed by the same invisible breeze as fantasy Will's mod hairdo.

Will's eyes traveled up and down, and up and down this bizarre reflection until she realized that she'd stopped breathing. She gasped, sucking in a gulp of air. Then, finally, she tore her eyes away from the window.

She glanced around quickly to see if anyone else could see what she did, but luckily, this stretch of sidewalk was empty after the rain. She looked up at the sign above the window. No it wasn't some freak show or occult shop. Just a shabby looking place called Ye Olde Bookshop.

Almost against her will, Will's sneaker or was it her purple leather boot? Found her bike pedal so fast that the bike gave a little hop as it began speeding down the sidewalk.

Will pedaled as hard as she could. Her breath came in ragged gasps. She kept her eyes on the cement in front of her, not daring to even glance into any other window she passed.

Already, her altered image was beginning to wave in her mind. Perhaps the day's stresses had warped her vision. Maybe fantasy will hadn't been there at all!

The problem was, Will didn't feel as if she were hallucinating. Or even crazy. Slightly neurotic, yes. But unhinged? No.

Which meant that this figure, this alternate Will, had somehow been...real?

Will's mind was racing as fast as her bike. She shook her head, blinking her tousled hair out of her eyes. Through rattling teeth, she muttered, ''Th-that can't be!''

On the other side two figures were viewing her. Apparently the glass was enchanted.

**''Is that her?'' **One voice asked.

**''Yes! Put on your best clothes. We're going to a party tonight!'' **

The Sheffiled institute's Halloween party was full in the way. Hay Lin was dressed as a witch of some kind, long black boots and a violet Kimono like outfit while Irma was dressed like some sort of Maiden.

Elsewhere someone else was still trying to get her gear together. Will clad in pink shorts and tops couldn't decide what to wear. She then saw an older image of herself. It was who she wanted to be.

''Will?'' Asked her mother questioningly as she came in.

''No! Don't come in!'' Will cried out, covering her face with the dress.

Susan gave her daughter a questioning look. ''Why aren't you dressed yet? I thought you were going to put on the black dress.''

''The only black thing I'm fit for is a garbage bag!'' Will said as her face dropped and she started to cry.

Susan pulled her daughter into a hug. ''Why are you saying that? What's wrong?''

''My looks? I look terrible!'' Will said through a choked sob.

But she had to admit she felt a tiny bit better when her mother gave her shoulders a little squeeze.

''I only see a young rose, who is about to blossom.''

She grabbed Will by the shoulders and turned her toward the mirror. Will took a glance at her mother. She saw a pretty woman with long, wavy dark hair and big hoop earrings. And next to her, she saw a girl. A skinny girl with a scruffy head of hair and wan, red-rimmed eyes. turned Will to the mirror. '

''Look at yourself. Will you're beautiful! Let's get going before the party ends.''

Will squinted at her reflection. Was it possible to love herself in this state? She decided to give a small smile to try. She lifted a corner of her mouth.

Not bad.

She raised the other corner.

Will didn't want to admit it, but it did help.

She grabbed the black dress out of the box and held it up against her body. Not bad, again.

''Now, let's get going,'' her mom said. ''The party won't last forever.''

''And we have to pick up Taranee,'' Will added. Thankfully, Taranee was not mad about the late ride. She was happy that Will wanted to go.

Twenty minutes, later. Mrs. Vandom and the two girls pulled up at Sheffield. Will and Taranee hopped out of the car and waved good bye to Will's mom, who hung her head out of the window and grinned.

''Have a great time,'' she called. ''Hey Taranee take good care of Will for me. She's a shy girl. Put a little fire into her!''

''Bye mom! I'll see you later!'' Will said, feeling her cheeks go hot. She felt a surge of gratitude for Taranee's sweet smile. It would have been so easy to snort with laughter, point at Will and shriek, ''Mama's girl!''

Instead, Taranee just waved at Mrs. Vandom and said, 'Maybe I'm not the right person for the job, but I'll try!"'

The girls followed the orange-and-black signs taped to fence posts, pillars, and any other available surface. They all pointed to the party. With each step closer to pounding music and shrill chatter of the dance, Will's mouth got drier.

''We're still in time, Taranee,'' she hissed into her friend's ear. Or what would have been her ear if Taranee hadn't dressed as a sort of Neopunk Amelia Earhat. She was wearing a leather aviator's cap, complete with goggles and ear flaps, and a zebra-striped coat over her simple pink dress. 'Let's turn around and get out of here.''

''Looks like it's too late,'' Taranee said, sounding just as tremulous as will did. ''Cornelia!''

Will gasped and peeked over Taranee's shoulder. Yup...there was the blond goddess herself, looking as gorgeous as ever in a tiny purple camisole and voluminous pink skirt. She looked every bit the popular girl. But Cornelia's smile was as warm and welcoming as it had been that afternoon.

''Hours later...,'' Cornelia said with a grin. ''Fashionably late, you might say. That's okay. The party's just hitting its peak.''

A little far away the one who controlled water was dealing with her own complications. Irma looked down at the filmy, indigo skirt of her once-yellow dress and willed it to shimmy back and forth, or spin around or...something.

_''You're at a party,_ she told herself irritably. She glanced at the costumed kids smiling around the gym in hockey masks and devil's horns and dramatic, flowing dresses. Cobalt blue was on the stage, slamming out an Alicia keys cover. The overhead lights had been covered with gold cellophane and candles burned in the rafters, giving the entire room with a hazy yellow glow.

But it's hard to dance when you're seething. Which is exactly what Irma had been doing. From the moment she confided to her friends about her wardrobes magical transformation. Which she soon learned was a huge mistake. Hay Lin and Elyon had laughed so hard, they'd almost collapsed on the floor.

''Your dress turned from yellow to blue,'' Hay Lin snorted. She looked down at her own silly Kimono, which was just as gorgeous as she'd promised. ''And I'm actually a Japanese Geisha.''

''Next thing you know, she'll come to school as a blonde and tell us, ''I didn't dye it. It was magic,'' Elyon squealed.

_Elyon's just picking on me to distract us from her punishment,_ Irma had thought angrily. She gave the band's lead singer, Matt Olsen...otherwise known as Elyon's big crush...an angry glare.

And now, to top it all off, Irma's friend weren't paying any attention to her. They'd all traipsed to the gym door to greet the new girts, Will and Taranee. Cornelia was planting a pointy black witch's hat onto Will's sheepish head.

''It's my fault we're late,'' Will said. ''I lost track of time, and...''

''Hey Irma did you hear that?'' Elyon asked turning to grin at her. She was dressed as an elf, or imp, or fairy...something mischievous, anyway. She wore a feather green tunic and a crown of leaves. ''This is what I call an original excuse!''

Hay Lin glanced at Irma and giggled.

''She got here late, too,'' she told Will and Taranee. ''And do you want to know what excuse she made up?''

''There's nothing to laugh about,'' Irma retorted with a scowl. ''All of the clothes in my wardrobe did change color.''

Hay Lin and Elyon burst into another round of hysterical giggles. Irma squirmed some more. She knew if it had been anyone else telling such a crazy story, she'd be the one laughing loudest. But, well the shoe was on the other foot now. And boy did their laughing make Irma mad.

''It's the truth!"' she yelled at Hay Lin and Elyon. ''And if you don't want to believe it, that's your problem.''

Will stepped from the doorway met and Irma's eyes.

''I believe it,'' she said quietly.

Before Irma could flash her a grateful smile, Martin Tubbs appeared.

'Martin!' Any time Irma least wanted to see him, which was, well, pretty much always, there he was. And each time he was goofier than the last. Tonight he was wrapped in about a hundred yards of tattered bandages. Behind his Coke-bottle glasses, he blinked dreamily at Irma.

''Hi, Irma,'' he whispered. When she glared at him with what she hoped were icy eyes, he leaped back and whipped out a Polaroid camera. At least Martin sometimes knew how to read Irma's 'get lost' signals!''

''Hey girls! How about a picture?''' he asked them as he raised his camera.

''Yeah!'' Hay Lin cried. She slung her arms over Will's and Taranee's shoulders, and Elyon and Cornelia squeezed in. Then Hay Lin grabbed Irma and Yanked her into the shot.

''I'll never tell you any secrets again,'' Irma hissed to Ha Lin. ''So there!''

''Okay! Smile girls!''

All six girls were crowded together.

Unknown to the girls a being was watching over them. Already aware of their destination and sure that one of them will betray the others.

The girls continued enjoying the party. Every time was going fine and the girls were having a good time. Suddenly one of the two mystery men's actions caused the torch of fire to land in the giant Pumpkin. A fire started to spread out as the fireworks that the delinquent Uriah and his gang had stashed set off.

One was handing right for Irma.

''Get down, Irma!"' Taranee screamed. Once again Taranee felt as if time had slowed down. She was aware of her hands flying into the air, reaching out for Irma. She could feel her eyes bulging in fear. But this time, she wasn't speechless.

'Stop!' She cried.

Taranee gasped as the rocket...stopped! It hovered in midair, literally inches from Irma's nose. Irma stared, then squeezed her eyes shut and hunched her shoulders, preparing for the worst.

But Taranee wasn't going to let the worst happen. She felt something, like a band of energy, connect her with that sizzling rocket. She squinted at it. Every ounce of her being spoke silent to it.

And, somehow, for some reason, it obeyed her silent command. Taranee waved her arms upward. The firework followed the direction her wave as if she were a puppeteer, and the rocket a marionette. It veered straight up, skimming past Irma and hurtling into the night sky.

Taranee was dimly aware of Will standing a few feet away, bathed in the orange glow of the fiery pumpkin. She was just as transfixed by the soaring rocket.

And Will continue to stand there, paralyzed, as the rocket began to shoot back to earth. In fact, it was hurtling right back into the jack-o-lantern from which it had spirit sprung.

As the rocket made impact, the pumpkin's scar smile finally disappeared. In fact, the entire thing exploded in a huge, billowing burst of fire.

A rush of searing air accompanied the explosion. Taranee watched Will's face contort in horror as the heat knocked her peaked witch's hat form her head.

''Will!'' Taranee screamed. Bursts of fire, resembling angry, orange claws, leaped out of the jack-o-lantern. In another instant, those claws were going to engulf Taranee's friend. They were going to kill her!

Taranee threw her hands out in front her, pushing against the angry heat with all her psychic might. She could hear her voice ring out. She was screaming. She was issuing an order.

''Back!'' Taranee cried.

And...the fire retreated.

Will collapsed onto the grass, her body bathe din the glow of flames that were perilously close, but no longer near enough to harm her.

Gasoing and sputtering, she crawled away from the fire just as Taranee's history teacher, Mr. Collins, dashed in and began to fight off the flames with a fire extinguisher.

Will gazed up at Taranee in shock. Hay Lin, Irma, and Cornelia stumbled over and stared at her, too.

''I think you owe us some kind of explanation, Taranee,'' Will said in a haggard whisper. ''How...how did you do that?''

Taranee was staring at her hands. They had redirected a rocket. They had literally fought fire. But now they were only trembling.

''I don't know, Will,'' she squeaked. ''I really don't know.''

Will stumbled to her feet and threw her arms around Taraee. Her body shook with grateful sobs.

''You saved her life,'' Cornelia said, resting a gentle hand on Taranee's shoulder. Irma and Hay Lin also patted her comfortingly.

But Taranee merely stared over Will's shoulder at the dying flames of the jack-o-lantern. 'What did I do' she thought, over and over. And beneath that incessant question was another greater importance.

'Who am I?' she raised her hand and murmured the command stop freezing the rocket in place. Then she waved it off course only for it to explode near Will. The girl placed up her hand to shield herself.

The next day came and the girls found themselves discussing these weird dreams they were having.

''What happened then?'' Will asked as Irma stopped narrating the story. ''Alarm clock rang.'' Irma said shrugging.

''Did it look something like this?'' Finishing her sketch-on-skin-with a flourish, Hay Lin showed off, finishing doodling on her hand.

''H-How on earth...yes!'' Irma exclaimed.

''Hang on a second,'' Will said, looking at Hay Lin's palm as well. ''This is the same thing I dreamed about.''

''You , too"?'' Irma breathed. She stared at Will, who nervously pushed a shock of red hair out of her eyes and blinked hard.

''Ni ether Irma nor I have ever described it in detail! "

How did you know what it looked like?''

''Simple...it was in my dream too!'' Hay Lin replied.

''Let's think. Everybody has some kind of weird experience,'' Cornelia brought up.

''Stop it! Just stop it!''

Elyon gasped and turned to look at Taranee. She'd been sitting by silently as Will, Irma, and Hay Lin talked about the weird coincidence. But now, she was exploding.

''This...this is scaring me!'' Taranee whimpered. ''What's going on?''

That's when Cornelia sighed huffily and pushed her away from the tree trunk. She planted her fists on her hips and scowled.

Elyon clasped her hands and tuned in, feeling just a little grateful. All this talk was freaking her out too. But finally here was something familiar...Cornelia taking charge.

''Let's reason here,'' Cornelia said. ''Strange little things have happened to just about all of things with no explanation that surely aren't our imagination.''

''What do you mean, Sherlock?'' Asked a still slightly skeptical Irma.

''Maybe we need to talk it over calmly. We have to talk about this somewhere else, but not here, and not now.''

''Cornelia's right,'' Hay Lin said. She still had a little smile on her face. ''How bout meeting at my house this afternoon?'' Hay Lin continued.

''I don't know if I'll be there,'' Elyon admitted. Her voice trembled just a bit as she looked at her friends' quizzical faces.

''Have you got something better to do, Ellie?'' Irma asked.

''Well...'' Elyon said, feeling a smile spread across her face. ''I've got a date with Cedric! That guy from last night, remember?''

''You don't say!'' Cornelia said. Her scowl had disappeared, and her blue eyes were sparkling. ''You convinced him to study with you!"'

''He's so fascinating,'' Elyon said with a giggle. She knew she was blushing, but she didn't care. ''He invited me to his bookshop. He says he has to talk to me!"'

''A friendly little chat in a bookshop,'' Irma said with a sneer. ''Just thinking about it makes me yawn.''

''You're just jealous!'' Elyon said, feeling cold resentment worm its way into her gut.

Irma always had to be the center of attention!

''Is it that obvious?'' Irma said with a mischievous smile.

''Oh...'' Elyon said, feeling her wash-over her as quickly as her anger had. Irma had just been teasing.

''Ha!'' Cornelia guffawed. ''Don't worry about her, Elyon. We'd be the last ones to try to stop you!''

Elyon giggled and then, with exaggerated care, pulled up her sleeve to look at her watch. It was 3:45! She had to boogie.

Flashing her friends with a tremulous grin and a little wave she trotted off the Sheffield grounds.

Elyon rushed down Sixth Street toward Cedric' shop. She smoothed down her favorite green skirt and rustled her shaggy bangs just right. Then, she promptly tripped on a crack on the sidewalk.

''Oooh!'' she grunted, catching herself with her hands before she took a major spill. She scrambled to her feet and checked her bare knees. The scuffs were kept to a minimum.

Elyon took a deep breath and approached the address Cedric had given her. She glanced up at the Green sign hanging over the sidewalk-Ye Olde Bookshop.

Elyon reached for the big brass doorknob and twisted it. The door opened with a creak. She poked her head into the store. Funny, how she'd never noticed this place before. It was amazing. The room was dark and shadowy and lined with flowery, Victorian wallpaper. There were Asian sculptures here and there, and, of course, tons of books, all of them ancient looking, bound in cracked leather, filling the air with musty, dusty old books smell. Along the far wall was an amazing, round stained0glass window depicting a golden peacock.

''Uum, hello?'' Elyon called squeakily. 'Anybody here?''

''I'm right here, Elyon,'' A voice called from the back room.

Elyon followed the origin of the voice letting the door shut behind her.

Cedric walked out from the shadows taken residence in front of the glowing peace window, looking quite the studious one.

Cedric had lost the stocking cap and bad-boy mask. His hair was pulled back into a low, loose ponytail, and his eyes were covered with hip, rectangular spectacles. He stood with perfect, even imperious, posture as he gazed over his book at Elyon.

_'He's too beautiful for me,_' Elyon thought.

Elyon shook her head quickly. Where had that come from? So what if Cedric was highly polished, making her feel all the scruffier? It also made her feel all the more flattered.

After all, out of all the girls at Sheffield...from elegant Cornelia to flirty, curvy Irma...Cedric had only asked 'her' to the bookshop. He had singled out Elyon.

Only Elyon.

Elsewhere Hay Lin dropped a handful of green tea leaves into her mother's favorite red tea pot, the one with the tiny partridge perched on the lid. Then she carefully poured boiling water from the kettle into the pot and watched the tea leaves billow and swirl in a stream.

Beneath her kitchen's floorboards, she could hear the faint din of her parents' restaurant...the click of chopsticks on china, the sizzle of crisped rice hitting hot soup, the laughter of customers cracking open fortune cookies. It was a sound she'd grown up with, and it was comforting to Hay Lin as chocolate milk or the perfect stuffed animal.

But this was no time to get nostalgic. Hay Lin needed to focus on the weird, magical dream that she and her friends had all had. Just the thought of t mysterious medallion made Hay Lin smile. Which was more then she could say for her pals. Cornelia, Irma, Taranee, an d Will were all sitting around the big pine table in the cramped family kitchen, nibbling on her dad's crunchy almond cookies and looking seriously nervous.

It made sense that Hay Lin would be the cheerful one in the room. After all, she was the group's comic relief, she knew that. She was always ready with a big grin, a joke, an all-inclusive hug. It was easy for her.

To Hay Lin every day was a little adventure, beginning with a in foray into her closet. She'd find a bungee cord hanging from the doorknob, and wrap it around her waist in a cool, crisscross pattern.

She'd toss her long, blue-black hair under a pair of pink Elvis Sunglasses, bunch some retro leg warmers around her ankles and practically skip out the door.

When she was home, she had anchors all around her...her drawing pencils and paints, her comic books, the whispered conversations she had with her grandmother about, oh, everything.

Grandma liked to fill Hay Lin's head with all sorts of stories. She told her that every flower was a vessel for a human soul; that crickets meant the best of luck; that a messy room indicated a creative mind; that magic lurked around the edges of everyday life.

Hay Lin didn't actually believe that. Grandma's magic was like a Buddhist Santa Claus...something fun for Hay Lin to dream about, even cling to, on rare occasions when she felt adrift. Though she had to admit she had been filling a little floaty lately. She thought as she filled the five red cups with steaming fragrant tea.

The girls continued their discussion, trying to find out what was the connection and the meaning of the drawing when

Yan Lin entered the room holding up some sort of strange object. ''Would this look like it a little more?'' Sure enough the object was the same from Hay Lin's draw.

''Grandma!''

''That's it!'' Will exclaimed. ''The Medallion from our dreams. Where could you have gotten that?''

''What matters,'' Hay Lin's grandmother said to Will in her scratchy, high pitched voice, ''...is that you will be keeping it now. This is the Heart of Kandrakar.'' Hay Lin's sharp, heavily wrinkled eyes over the five girls. ''And you are the new guardians,'' she announced, gripping the medallion's chain tightly.

Hay Lin felt her skin prickle. She'd never seen this side of her grandmother. She'd always been powerful, but quiet, acting from the sidelines. Now, she stood over their group with palpable power, like a queen.

For the first time since all this magic had begun, Hay Lin felt fear.

''Wh-what are you talking about?'' she quavered.

Hay Lin smiled at her reassuring and motioned for Ha Lin to sit down with the others. Then she stood at her head of the table and began to speak.

''Let me tell you girls a story. An old story. Along time ago, when the Earth was still young, all spirits and creatures lived under the same sky. Universe was one huge kingdom. Then the spirits and creature started to feel hate, and the world was split to those who wanted peace and those who lived at others' suffering. Both were separated with a veil. Evil was evicted into a dark place called metaworld. Before the universe was split in half forever Kandrakar's castle was created. It is in the middle of infinity. It is guarded by the most powerful creatures and spirits. And there lives, the veils guardian. If you want, you can go there too. You are here for a reason. You are the new guardians, the most important creatures in the fight that started thousands of years ago.''

''What is the Veil?'' Irma piped up.

''Next to reality is another reality. The Veil is the wall that separates them from each other. But the veil has turned more fragile, the other reality is coming through and its dangerous.'' Hay Lin saw Will's lip tremble as she spoke up.

''I...I don't think I understand.'' Will replied, this was a bit more then she expected to hear.

''You will understand everything later! Now I just ask you to learn and accept your new duty. You have nothing to be afraid of! Nature is with you, and its powers now belong to you!'' The object began to glow.

She then gesture at each girl and spoke the words. 'You Irma,'' she said, ''will have power over Water-Broken and uncontainable.''

Hay Lin saw Irma's eyes light up, or maybe that was just the reflection of the glowing, glass orb. In any case, her expression quickly went dark again as Yan Lin stepped over to Cornelia, who looked as if she were fighting the urge to leap up from the table and run far, far away.

''To you, firm Cornelia, the power of Earth,'' Yan Lin pronounced, before turning to Taranee, ''And to you, generous Taranee, the difficult gift of fire.''

Finally, Yan Lin stepped over to Han Lin and placed her dry, warm hand on top of her head. Hay Lin felt herself relax and smile at her grandma's touch. Even in this, the most confusing moment ever, Yan Lin was a steadying presence.

''And you, my little Hay Lin,'' Yan Lin crooned softly. ''You will be free and light as air.'' Hay Lin's eyes flapped open.

She was sure she'd felt a cool breeze skim over her face the minute the word 'air' had left Yan Lin's mouth. She blinked in amazement, before her attention to Will.

''And me?'' Will said tremulously, gazing up at Hay Lin.

''Give me your hand, Will. Soon you'll understand!''

Will held out her plan obediently. As Yan Lin lowered the heart of Kandarakar into it, she said, ''You will find out soon enough.''

The medallion came to rest on Will's palm. Then it's warm, pulsing glow began to grow. It became more and more intense until the orb was shooting beams of sparkling, silver light all over the kitchen.

Hay Lin held her breath and tried not to scream. But Will didn't seem scared at all. in fact she seemed transformed. She still looked the same, skinny Will, swimming in a pair of blue corduroy overalls, but her face was rapturous. Her hair was floating around her head in a luminous halp. And her hand, clasping the magical Heart of Kandarakar, seemed to float upward.

''Aaagh!'' Will cried, throwing her head back. Hay Lin didn't know what was surging through her new friend. Pleasure? Power? Knowledge? Or...

''This, this is magic!'' Irma breathed.

Hay Lin glanced at Irma and nodded. That's exactly was it was.

And it was also, suddenly, over. Hay Lin's broken gaze, or Irma's voice, or 'something' seemed to have broken the spell. The Heart of Kandrakar became, once again, an inert charm. And Will had returned to being ordinary Will, albeit a very shaken up one.

She turned her gaze to Yan Lin who was already halfway out the door.

Hay Lin bit her lip. She knew this routine. When Yan Lin was done talking, she was _done talking. _There was no cajoling her to stick around.

''Wait, don't go! Tell us more.'' When they came to the hallway she was gone.

Hay Lin gently put an arm around Will's shoulders and led her toward the stairs. The rest of the girls followed in silence. No one said a word until they formed a small, tight circle on the sidewalk outside the restaurant's big round window.

''I still can't understand what happened!'' Taranee stated unsure.

Cornelia on the other hand didn't believe. ''Nothing! No offense Hay Lin, but your grandma isn't completely sane. She told us a stupid story to amaze us with that jewelry!'' She snapped.

''I think you're a little afraid Cornelia!"' Irma said in a sing song voice, a smirk plastered across her face.

''I don't believe in everything, like some people. I'm going home!'' Cornelia declared in a huff.

''Cornelia will change her mind, knowing her.'' Hay Lin stated with certainty.

''If we really are some kind of super team, we should have some costumes,'' Irma suggested flexing her arms.

''And a name! What about Witch?'' Hay Lin suggested writing something on her hand. ''The first letter of our names make it. W.I.T.C.H.! Isn't it great?''

''Some day you will get ink poisoning!'' Was Taranee's deadpanned replied.

''W.I.T.C.H.? Have you heard anything more retarded?'' Irma then turned to Will. ''I don't feel like a witch! What do you think Will?''

''I don't know. I'm still very confused! I...'' The red head said scratching the back of her head.

''Girls ! Hey!"' Elyon called out to them.

''Look whose coming!''

''Elyon! The dance ended already.''

''Just these first ones!'' The girl said with a dreamy look in her eye. ''Cedric wants to meet me gain in the gym hall.'' The sandy sandy blonde haired girl said.

''Oh, such romantic places!"' Hay Lin teased.

''He said that he wants to tell me something important.

''We'll see!'' Irma joined in.

''You guys should come with me! Then I wouldn't feel so nervous!''

''I won't say no, if I can mess with others' relationships with permission!''

''I'm coming!''

''Me too, Elyon.''

Hay Lin and Will were happy to join.''What about you, Taranee? Promise you'll come.''

Taranee shook her head. ''I don't think so. My parents won't let me out two nights in a row.''

Irma pulled Hay Lin and Will into a side hug. ''There's three of us already! Isn't that enough?'' She asked grinning.  
''I think so!''

Later that day night came and the moon was high in the sky.

The three girls arrived and Elyon wasn't there so they figured she was inside.

''Irma is right, let's go!''

They opened the doors to the gym.

''Elyon! Are you here?''

''It's dark in here! I bet she's home already.''

''Wait...I'll put on some lights...'' Will said stepping forward.

Irma and Hay Lin were scooped up by a large blue skin fiendish looking creature. They both let out a scream.

Will gasped as she heard her friends scream in terror. She spun around just in time to see the gym doors slam shut. Even the faint glow from the moon disappeared, and, for a horrible instant, Will felt as if she were floating in space. She had no sight, no senses, nothing to anchor her.

But quickly, almost...magically, Will's eyes adjusted to the light. She almost wished they hadn't, because through the hazy gloom, she saw Hay Lin and Irma squirming in the clutches of a monster.

**''Welcome guardians!" **The beast greeted.

Will gasped, noticing the creature was the very same strange being from the Halloween Party the night before. That had been no kid in an ugly blue costume. This monster was for real.

And he's changed for the worse.

He was larger now, seven feet tall, with the girth of a refrigerator. The lumpy, rock-like bumps on his head had become full-fledged horns-sharp and threatening. His tiny teeth had turned into huge, yellow, lethal fangs.

He was effortlessly holding Hay Lin and Irma with one beefy arm. Irma kicked wildly at him with her red Hush Puppies, but she barely even connected.

''Let go, Monkey! This isn't funny!'' Irma shrieked.

But the monster didn't let go. In fact it looked like he was squeezing them tighter.

''Who...who are you? What do you want?'' Will asked, stepping back in fear.

**''We want to destroy you...and take over your world. The veil is weak and without you, the whole universe is ours.''**

''Weak?'' Will whispered. Heat had started to form in her palm and it was quickly growing. It pricked at her, sending jets of energy up her arm. In fact, she felt as if the heat had entered her bloodstream. It was a feeling her body couldn't recognize. It was both awful and glorious.

Through the haze of this experience, Will heard the blue creature growl, **''What shall I do with them master?''**

**''Tear open a pit and throw them in, Vathek,''** The voice responded.

'Help!'' Hay Lin shrieked. She and Irma began screaming and squirming, trying to fruitlessly to wrench themselves free form this horrible creature.

Will's mind seemed to shut down. She could hear herself breathing and feel her heart thumping slowly inside her chest. But most of all, she could feel her energy shooting form curled fist to all points of her body. Slowly, she willed her finger to open.

And when they did, the medallion, glowing brilliantly, was resting on her palm.

'That what it was,' a voice inside Will's head said triumphantly. ''The Heart of Kandrakar. Maybe this is the time to use it.''

Her hand seemed to take over. And it knew just what to do.

''Hay Lin, Irma!'' Will called, throwing the Heart Of Kandrakar to her friends with a sweeping motion.

''Water! Air!'' As the medallion soared through the air, Will saw the glass Orb that was its center seem to separate into three, vibrating, tear-shaped missiles.

One became liquid and swirly. It landed in front of Irma. It hovered before her stunned eyes and then began to wave its way around her body, as if it were wrapping her in invisible ribbon.

The medallion also seemed to wrench Irma from the blue creature's group. As she sprang away from him, he howled in rage.

The exact same thing happened to Ha Lin, except the tear drop that danced around her was almost like a vapor, a puff of shimmering air.

And finally, there was Will's teardrop. It throbbed before her eyes and turned a shocking pink. It pulsed like a beating heart.

Will felt her fear melt away. She reached out to the heart, beckoning it to come to her. And then it, too, began to swirl around her body.

Out of the corner of her eyes, Will saw Hay Lin gasp with joy and throw her arms over her head. Her hair came free of her goggles and began to twist around er torso like a glossy, black cyclone.

Irma's hair floated up from her scalp and her eyes turned sultry and mischievous. Before Will's very eyes, Irma's lips went pouty, her clothes melted away, and feathers unfurled from her back.

And that's when Will ceased to see her friend. Because she was going through her own incredible transformation. Her back arched, and her body shook, as if she were having a seizure. Will felt a wave of heat shoot through her. The energy she'd felt in her veins became stronger now.

The energy she'd felt in her veins became stronger now. It filled her body until it seemed like her real self must have disappeared, leaving behind only a soul, floating in space.

She suddenly felt tugging on her back. Instinctively, she knew she was growing wings, just as Irma had. She was becoming the beautiful woman she'd seen int he bookshop window and in her bedroom mirror. She felt her limbs lengthening, her face changing, her muscles growing lean and strong.

Will felt a calm suffuse her as she burst out into a coiled position she had token during the transformation and leaped into a fighting stance.

With that one pouncing motion, Will accepted her fate. She was no longer just a student, just a daughter, or just a friend. She was a Guardian of the Veil, the keeper of the Heart of Kandrakar.

And life as she'd known it...for better or worse...had changed forever.

Her two companions found themselves changed as well.

A turquoise aura radiated from Irma. Her body growing lean and supple, her outfit was now consisted of a blue shirt with swirls on the bottom, a pinkish-violet mini skirt, blue and green tights, purple ankle boots, and a pair of pixie wings.

Irma's hair had also grown longer and is put into a sleek hairdo. Her curves were a bit more pronounced then her companions, particularly her top.

''We have wings!'' Hay Lin exclaiming examining her wings.

''We really are magical creatures.'' Irma said noticing her bust.

**'Destroy them Vathek! Destroy them!''**

The creature tried to blast Will with eyes beams, but she moved out of the way with impressive speed.

''Too slow, monster!'' She taunted.

Suddenly a wormhole opened, prepared to suck Irma in.

Hay Lin grabbed her friends arm.

''Hay Lin! Use your wings! Fly away!''

Hay Lin pulled her friend to safety. ''It's easy, since I'm air...'' Only to collide with the blue ogre creature. ''Pathetic fly! Your powers aren't useful if you don't know how to use them!'' He said as he pinned the Air Guardian's arm behind her back.

''Stop right there!"' Irma declared. Her eyes were set on a fire hose. ''Water! Show your powers!" The case burst open as glass hit the ground. The spray of water blasted the creature off the air guardian.

''A bit arrogant don't you think?'' Hay Lin asked.

''But powerful! I take care of things with style!'' The water guardian said with a cocky smirk.

''Come on girls let's go!'' Suddenly the building was let ablaze. Blocking their path was a large reptilian creature.

**'Where do you think you're going?''**

''Who...or what are you?''

**''Master hurry! The portal is closing!"'**

The heart began glowing.

**''The portal can't close Vathek! Keep it open! Noooooooo!"'**

The portal had close. ''**This fight ends here...but remember that the war, that starts from here, will be long and cruel!'' **His image went from reptilian to human. ''Goodbye witches!"' The creatures fled.

The girls resumed their natural forms and quickly escaped. They retreated out of the back exit of the school unaware that someone was watching.


	3. Enter Naruto

The Guardian's Kitsune  
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Naruto x Witch x ?

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Story Start

0

''Will I'm home!'' Susan Vandom announced as she walked through the front door of the apartment. She was arriving home a little earlier then usual and for that she was glad. Her job as Simultech was a bit demanding and the hours were long, but the pay was good. As she walked furthered into the apartment she caught the whiff of something.

The smell of vanilla scented candles along with the glow filled the dimly lit apartment.

''You'll never find, as long as you live...'' A familiar voice sung out from around the corner.

''Oh no he didn't...'' Susan thought as she could feel herself turning red. A million thoughts began racing through her mind at the apart scene or what was soon to come. How did he get here? When did he get here? What was he trying to do? What if Will walked through the door and got the wrong idea? And how did he know she loved Lou Rawls 'You'll Never Find?'

''Someone who loves you tender like I do...'' Kuiinshi continued to sing as he spun around the corner cooly wearing a silk black robe and holding two glasses of wine in his finger tips. ''You'll never find, no matter where you search...Someone who cares about you the way I do.'' He took her hand pulling her towards him all the while singing. Susan half-heartily resisted, but was a bit enthralled by the scene.

'My mom is going to kill me.'' Will thought as she raced home, the street lights lighting the path of the early night as the sun had yet to arrive. She was out with the girls earlier, trying to find out more about her situation and lost track of time. She was so busy in her thoughts she brushed past a guy who cried out and shouted after her.

''Whoa Froggy-chan you nearly ran me over! Where you going! I don't get a hi!'' His voiced called after the girl who raced a few more steps before stopping, taking notice of what the guy said.

_'Froggy-chan?' _The affectionate nickname echoed through her head. She slowly turned before she saw the grinning form of Naruto. He was dressed casually, albeit a bit impractical considering the weather. True he was wearing a thick, black coat but only over top a sleeveless sapphire blue T-shirt and grey sweats.

''Miss me?'' He spoke once more as his arms stretched out into a hug me gesture. He got his response as the girl went for a flying glomp leading to them being both on the ground.

A few minutes later the two were walking back to Will's apartment, the night sky grower darker as the moon began to rise and illuminate the path. Even in the pale glow the Pennako's luminescent blush was still quite visible.

''Oh come on Froggy-chan it wasn't that bad. That was definitely one of the funniest glomps I definitely received. You should try out for the track team. I mean the distance you covered. Was that 10.4 in 100 feet?'' He teasing her as her blush grew.

''I...I can't believe your here...'' She whispered happily. ''I missed you...'' She admitted brushing a strand of her hair from her face, too embarrassed to meet Naruto's eyes.

''I missed you too Will.'' He said as he wrapped an arm around her waist. ''And I'm going to look forward being around you again.''

Back at the apartment Susan sat at the table in her kitchen, her face cupped in her hands as she shook her head. She was trying to calm herself. She couldn't believe he actually did this? What was wrong with him? She wasn't angry, on the contrary she was quite flattered, but she recently got out of a nasty marriage. She hadn't even got the chance to file for divorce as she was trying to get her life together and make sure she and Will were comfortable.

''Hey Suzy-kat...'' He sat next to her. ''Was it too much? I'm sorry I just wanted to see you smile or laugh. The last time I saw you...that face of sadness broke my heart. You're beautiful and any man who loves you should spend every moment trying to make you smile or laugh or he isn't worth you.''

'Damn him!' She thought as he had her blushing like a school girl. 'If he wasn't so handsome, nice, and a sweet talker; not to mention that ass.'

Unknown to Susan she was just hit by the Tentai trademark declaration of love. Often consisting of a lovingly look followed by the sweetest and most sincere observation a Tentai could tell his lover. This trademark technique was known to have only two known users, coincidentally the only two Tentais alive.

''I'm not ready for a relationship.'' She gently told him.

''I know...too soo...'' He was silenced as a finger was pressed again his lips.

''But I don't mind dating and see where this goes.''

Kuiinshi grinned and was about to say something,''If you behave.'' His grin was noticeable less, but he was still grinning.

''As long as I can whine, dine, and cherish you like the diamond you are I'm game.'' He replied.

With that Heatherfield didn't seem so bad after all.

Heatherfield...

The name means a field of flowers. In a Heather field, you would expect colorful, beautiful, flowers all around, but in here is just branches, weeds...and a deep silence.

''No one there?'' Irma asked. The Witch Girls were gathered in front of a violet two story house. It was a windy day in Heatherfield. Leaves being scooped up by the wind. The clouds still darkening the sky.

''We might as well give up.'' Cornelia stated with boredom. ''We aren't going to find Cornelia here.

''But she can't just have disappeared like that! I wouldn't expect her to go on a trip, without telling us.'' Hay Lin replied.

''We'll meet her again.'' Will stated with certainty.

''How can you be so sure about it?'' Irma asked, a bit skeptical.

''I can feel it inside. After all, we are witches right?'' She replied, an optimistic smile.

''Indeed...'' Cornelia agreed putting on a club.

''I didn't hear any movement at all.'' Naruto said as he dropped down from the roof of the home and joined the others. ''Though we might find some clues if we go inside.'' he suggested as he looked up at the gloomy gray sky reflected the general mood of the group.

''What...what are you doing?'' Irma asked, taking notice of Cornelia kneeling.

''Don't worry...'' The Earth started to react. Floral grew from the earth. ''If Elyon comes back tomorrow, she gets a colorful reception.''

''Are you crazy?'' Irma questioned. ''Somebody could have seen that!''

''There's no one here.'' Cornelia brushed off dismissively.

''There could have been!'' Irma countered back with a shout.

''But there wasn't!'' Cornelia screamed back. Before the argument could escalate a boom of thunder caught their attention. If seemed like storms was plaguing the town of Heatherfield.  
''Oh no! Thunderstorm.'' Hay Lin stated.

''Again?'' Will sighed in annoyance. She was beginning to miss the warm rays of the sun. Heatherfield had given off such a gloomy glow since she arrived. Though, at least she had her best friend at her side so everything wasn't a complete drag.

''And this time it seems like it's going to be a bad one.'' Cornelia was already moving ahead, Will trailing close behind.

''Cornelia has been pretty tight after we found out that we have magic powers,'' Hay Lin observed out loud to Taranee.

''I still can't believe this myself.'' Taranee was more or less the most practical of the group. In ways she and Hay Lin were opposites in philosophy. The Asian Air guardian was far more free spirited while the Mocha skin girl was down to earth. ''But this is really is happening...and to us!'' The words of acceptance of these strange phenomena were foreign to her as she began to think back to a few years prior.

''...And then the monsters just disappeared! It was unbelievable!'' Irma finished, explaining the events to the other Witch girls. The girls were on school grounds, right outside discussing what was happening. ''Weirdest thing was what Elyon did. She wanted us all to go the gym. It was like a trap.'' Will added, a look of distrust plastered across her face. Was Naruto wrong about opening up again? Were these girls going to betray her again? Her thoughts were interrupted when Cornelia spoke up.

''I talked with Cedric, remember the boy from the party? He said as he doesn't know anything about their meeting! He hadn't talked to Elyon after the party.

''So Elyon lied to us? But why?'' Irma asked, feeling a bit hurt and betrayed. She wasn't completely sold yet, but whether it was intentional or not it never felt good to be betrayed by someone you considered a comrade.

''She hasn't been here for three days and nobody answers the phone in her house!''''We have to talk with her immediately when she returns to school?''

''Will, what does this mean?''

''Don't ask me...the answer is here.'' She replied to Taranee holding up the heart.

''Grandma's story is true! We really are magic creatures.'' Hay Lin remarked in awe.

''Oh, give me a break.'' Cornelia stated, still skeptical.

''You have to believe it! If you can't you should even try...'' Hay Lin started to defend.

''Try? Why would I?''

'Because it's true!'' The Asian exclaimed with conviction.

Suddenly vines reacting to Cornelia and started wrapping around her arm. She cried out and ripped it free. She rubbed her hand in shock and uncertainty. ''Did...Did I do that?''

''Yes, Cornelia, you control Earth.'' Will stated then turned to Taranee. ''And you can control fire Taranee.''

''I'm so afraid!'' The girl exclaimed suddenly. ''I would want to understand, what's happening!'

''Oh head! We have to watch out when you get mad!'' Irma joked. The bell rung and they had to get ready for class. The end of the day came and the girls began walking home from school. Hay Lin though separated from the group and went home. Her grandmother hadn't been feeling well lately.

Will and her friends arrived a her apartment building just as black clouds in the sky began to roll, rumble, and spark.

As she, Cornelia, Irma, and Taranee climbed the stairs that led to the apartment she shared with her mother, Will glanced at her friends, it was hard to believe she'd known them only for a few days. She already felt so familiar with Cornelia's long, blond hair, Irma's smirk, and Taranee's raggedy fingernails. Will even knew that Taranee always gnawed on her nails when she was nervous.

In fact Will bet she could practically read their thoughts. As she opened the door to the hallway and ushered her friends through it, she gazed at Cornelia's pale heart-shaped face. Her pink-glossed lips were pulled into a tight, tense line. Her blue eyes were steely. And she had the same expression Will got when she and her mother were having an argument.

'Yup,' Will thought. _'That's exactly how I look when I know that I'm wrong and my mom's right, but I'm not gonna admit it! And Cornelia's being just that stubborn about this whole magical powers thing. I mean she made a vine come to life in the school courtyard. It slithered up her arm like a snake! That was magic! There's no other explanation for it. But Cornelia still refuses to say the M word.'_

As the girls turned a corner in the hallway, Will's eyes fell on Taranee, whose ever-clicking beaded braids were hidden under the ear flaps of her big, floppy, red rain hat. Behind her little, round specs, Taranee's brown eyes were so big and watery. Her chin was trembling ever so slightly.

_'She's wishing she was home,'_ Will thought sympathetically. Taranee liked being tucked away in the safety of her photography dark-room or curled up in front of the fireplace. And Irma, Will concluded as she gazed at her,_ is wondering what kind of cookies I'm going to serve for our after-school snack._

Will invited the girls in to the apartment. Many boxed, boxes cluttered the rooms. The apartment was lined with tall, multiplicand windows; the place was dark and shadowy. The storm outside had turned the sky almost black.

_'Come on in,_' Will said, glancing at her watch. Her mom rarely got home from her big, swanky office at Simultech early. ''No one's here. My mother will be back in about an hour.''

Will maneuvered around a few cardboard boxes to hit the light switch. Naturally, she stubbed her toes on one of her own boxes with CDs.

At least her friends didn't seem to mind the disheveled decor. As Cornelia unfurled the orange shawl she'd tied around her shoulders and Taranee pulled off her hat, Irma flopped back onto the comfy red couch.

''Man I'm beat,'' she said with a big sigh. ''I wonder what's on TV.''

Will stared at Irma for a moment. '_Okay_, she thought, _now I don't know if Irma's attitude is funny or scary. I mean, we're dealing with some heavy stuff here_.' She pulled off her beat-up, gray jacket and stood in front of Irma.

''You know,'' she began hesitantly, ''with all we're going through, I'm not surprised you're tired. But aren't we taking this all a bit too lightly.''

As Irma opened one lazy, blue eyes to gaze at her quizzically, Will went on.

''I mean...'' she said, ''we should be terrified. We have magical powers. Don't you realize that?''

Irma's response got an angry glare from Cornelia. But Will had to continue. ''We suddenly find ourselves in the middle of something incredible, and we act like it is the most normal thing in the world,'' she said. ''The other day we battled monsters, one of our friends has completely vanished...and we're here to have a nice cup of hot chocolate.'' Will tossed her jacket onto a chair and all but shouted,''For heaven's sake. How do you guys explain all this?''

''Hey,'' Irma said, propping her red shoes up on the coffee table. ''Maybe we've got a few screws loose, and we never realized it before.''

''Speak for yourself, Irma,'' Cornelia snapped. She folded her long, skinny arms over her chest.

Will threw up her hands and stomped back across the living room into the open kitchen at the far end of the loft. Taranee followed her and slouched in front of one of the tall windows.

Will grabbed the coffeepot and stuck it beneath the kitchen faucet. ''There's something much bigger behind all this. I still don't really get what, but there is.''

''As soon as Hay Lin's grandma gets better,'' Taranee offered,''...we'll go ask her a few questions.

Will nodded. And at the same time, she cringed. The mention of Hay Lin's grandmother took her right back to the fateful moment just a few days ago. The girls had gathered this time, for tea in Hay Lin's apartment above her family's Chinese restaurant.

''Will...are you okay?'' Taranee asked as the Pennako filled the pot with water.

''Yeah...but that's not what I'm talking about.'' She rested a hand on Will's shoulder. ''Are _you _ok?'

Will's eyes widen slightly. Did Taranee picked up on how she was feeling other. ''I saw how guarded you were...and how sad you seem because...''

''No...I'm fine. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe Elyon is just sick or something.'' She said, hoping to change the subject. Since the water was cut on hot to speed up the heating process Will scalding her finger slightly and dropped the pot in the sink.

''Damnit!'' She hissed as she cut off the faucet.

''Hey are you okay?'' the mocha skinned girl asked with worry.

''Yeah...just burned myself slightly.'' Slightly she said with a slight whimper.

''Here, let me see...'' She said taking Will's small hands into her own.

''W-Wait...T-Taranee...'' The Mocha skinned girl began massaging her hand. It felt oddly pleasant, Will shivered at this. What were these thoughts she was having.

''I figured if I can control Fire then I can control heat right?'' She said flashing a girl a smile.

''T-Thanks...'' Will said as she turned to pick up the pot. It had more than enough water left to start brewing. She turned so Irma wouldn't she the twinge of pink on her cheeks.

'_W-Why am I feeling this way? This is crazy. I like Naruto...'' _She reminded herself.

Suddenly lighting flashed and the lights went out. The two girls joined the guardian of Earth and Water.

''Don't move. I think there are candles somewhere...'' Will said, feeling her away around the move. Somewhere around here, there should be some candles or a flashlight.

''Don't bother, Will,'' said Taranee's voice behind her. I'll take care of it.''

And suddenly, Will detected a bright glow dancing through the air. She spun around in time to see a tiny, orange fireball, bouncing playfully in Taranee's palm.

''Yeow!'' Irma yelped in alarm.

Cornelia gaped.

And Will gulped!

But she noticed that for perhaps the first time that afternoon...Taranees quivery, fearful expression had melted into an easy smile.

Taranee held her hand up over her head up over her head. The fireball tipped out of her palm as gently as a soap bubble and hovered in the air a few feet above Taranee's head.

Taranee nodded and grinned. Then she held out her hand again. With a muffled whoosh, another fireball formed. Taranee set that one free too.

Before the girls could catch their breath, Taranee's sizzly spheres were bobbing all around the loft, filling the space with cozy fire light. When one of the fireballs drifted by Irma's nose, she reached for it with hesitant fingers. She gasped as one fingertip pierced the fireball, and then emerged unscathed.

''Wow,'' Irma breathed. ''It doesn't burn!"'

Will laughed out loud.

_'This magic stuff isn't all scary_,' she had to admit to herself. A knock on the door drew their attention as Will went to the door.

''Help! Help they coming to get me!'' a voice shrieked from the other side hysterically as a grin formed on Will's face.

''I'm sorry sir...the person who you are looking for is not here at the moment.'' Will said in a high pitched tone and held her nose. ''If you leave your name and number we might care to get to you.'' she added as the other four girls looked confused as shit.

''Froggggy-chwaaaaaan!'' the voice continued followed by a thump. ''Okay seriously...are you ever going to open this door.''

''Alright...'' she opened the door as Naruto trailed in. ''Oh you have company. Hello my name is Naruto and I'm not as crazy as you may think I am. Thank you for that Will.'' he shot the red-head an annoyed glance who shrugged and fought down a mischievous smirk.

''Don't worry guys Naruto's a friend and he's into...well into magic.'' that was the best she could come up with. ''Naruto this is Taranee cook.'' she introduced the mocha skin girl. ''Taranee, Uzumaki Naruto. Per his culture you introduce last name then first name.'' Will explained as the two of them shook hands.

''Charmed...I like your glasses.''

''Oh...thank you,'' Taranee responded as her face flushed slightly.

''Well hey there!'' Irma popped up as Naruto almost dropped back, having just stop himself from uttering, 'where the hell did you come from?' or something along those lines.

Irma was sizing the blond up and saw what she liked. Cute, blond hair, and had a sort of boyish charm but something else she can't put her finger on. ''Irma Lair...single...are you single Naruto?'' she shamelessly flirted before Naruto was yanked back by Will who sent the water guardian a glare.

''As you can see that's Irma and this is...''

''Cornelia!'' the tall blonde introduced herself as she flicked her long shiny hair back with her right hand. ''Cornelia Hale.''

''Well hello.'' he said as he was getting not so vague Ino vibes from the girl. Then again any girl that was pretty, had long blonde hair, and had that popular aura around her was pretty much Ino to him."And Hay Lin of course." For a brief moment Will was surprised before she remembered Naruto had mentioned her in letter. "Seeing as we met through my guardian and her grandmother."

''Okay now that everyone is here I got a treat for you all,'' Will announced. ''Now if you will all join me in the kitchen.'' she urged them as she began heading towards the couch. ''Hope you brought your appetites.'' With hungry eyes Irma was the first to follow Will into the kitchen with a hungry look in her eyes. Taranee and Cornelia trailed after her.

''Yeah, I do,'' Irma said. ''Have you learned some new recipes?''

Will leaned with false casualness against the refrigerator door and said, ''What can we offer my friends, James?''

''James?'' Irma cried. She glanced behind her, and then peered around the rest of the kitchen. ''You have a butler and you never told us?''

Suddenly, a haughty British voice rang out through the kitchen.

**''There's a rather meager selection, Miss Will,''** the voice sniffled. ''**Unless someone would be so kind as to restock me.''**

Will watched as Irma screamed and stared at the Refrigerator, particularly the side dispensing lever in the freezer door. Without having to look, Will knew the lever as waggling to the rhythm of James's voice. Because James, of course, was...

''The Refrigerator!'' Irma screeched, pointing at the ice dispenser. ''The refrigerator is talking!''

As Will dissolved into a fit of giggles, James continued.

''Ahem,'' he said, with all the dignity a refrigerator cold muster. ''I should bring to your attention the fact that the cream cheese next to the pickles has long since expired.

'I'm sorry, James! I'll take it away.'' She quickly opened the refrigerator door and whisked away the block of cheese. it was indeed, green and fuzzy. Then she turned to Taranee, who was back to looking tremblingly and terrified, and whispered, ''James has very refined tastes, you see.

'Can you believe that? Fridge is still talking!'' And Irma was still freaking. Not in the good way either.

''I heard! I'm not deaf!"' Cornelia snapped at Irma, growing annoyed that her friend kept repeating the same thing and was currently shaking her by the shoulders.

'I discovered it the other day,'' Will explained to her friends as they headed back into the living room. '' I can talk with all electrical appliances. I've given them all names already. Now they listen to me and even work without powers.''

''That's a good way to save money. Turn on channel 15Q The cute rock band is having a concert tonight!'' Irma said, no longer freaking about the fridge as she flopped onto the couch again. She then turned toward the TV. ''Put on channel twelve Boy Comet is on. It's the hottest TV show of all time.''

'Did you hear, Billy?'' Will asked as she squatted in front of the TV.

''**No,no,no! You know I can't stand that kind of music! I just can't stand the musical theme song of Boy Comet.''**

**'**'But, but,'' Irma stuttered. But Billy cut her off.

**'What would you say about a nice documentary?''**

Irma in response could only hmpped.

Naruto who was hungry as hell decided to make himself a sandwich. Which should have taken no time at all, but the fridge kept yelling at him which any normal person would have scared the shit out of them, but after being flashed by K's chest hair very few things scared Naruto now.

Taranee brought out her backpack in hand. ''Uum...I wouldn't want to bother but...could you print my biology project?''

''Sure! No problem!"' Will said, grabbing the disk from her bud. ''I'll handle it.''

Tailed by a couple of bobbling fireballs, Taranee followed Will into her bedroom. It was just as littered with unpacked boxes as the rest of the loft. But at least Will's orange laptop and printer were all set up. That been one of the first things she'd taken care of when she'd moved in. Will felt lost if she wasn't wired to the web.

''Wake-up George! I have work for you.'

**''Work! I have to work every day! I'm so tired of this! Even though I am a machine, I still have rights to rest!'' **The computer sputtered in a high-pitched and definite northeastern drawl.

**''Don't complain George! I'm the one who has to do all the dirty work.''**

''Eeep~"' Taranee squeaked in shock as the printer next to the computer started talking too, this voice was growly and low, but decidedly female.

''What are they doing?'' Taranee asked, adjusting her glasses.

Eventually the girls settled down as it continued to pour outside.

''What do you think Kandrakar is like? What is the middle of infinity?'' Cornelia asked, breaking the gloom that had settled. ''I mean, what do you think this place in the middle of infinity' is like?''

''You got me,'' Taranee answered. ''But I'm more worried about the dangers we'll have to face. What is out there beyond the Veil?''

''And who...,'' Will said, sitting down at the table with them,''...were those monsters we fought?''

'I think it's be a good idea to practice our powers. So we could use them better.''

''Cornelia is right.'' Will agreed. She glanced up as sound of tires skidding through rain filled the loft. As she got to her feet to peek out the window, she added,''It would be terrible if we created some disaster just because we were inexperienced.

''Um...eh...about that.'' Irma said, finally turning away from the documentary.

''Oh no!'' Will interrupted. She was looking through the rain-spattered window. Now she was staring in horror.

All three friends crowded behind Will.

''What's going on?'' Taranee squeaked. She felt fear send little prickles down the back of her neck. ''What did you see?''

''Are the lizard man and blue gorilla back?''

Irma asked, crowding in behind Taranee.

''Even worse, you guys,'' Will groaned. ''My Mom's home!'' With that Will spun around. She pointed at the bobbing fireballs throughout the lot. ''The fire spheres, Taranee!'' She ordered.

''Hurry~!"'

''Right away~"' Taranee quavered. Irma was flapping at the fireballs with a TV Guide, but the flames did not diminish. She sot a desperate look.

'Do something!'' She hissed.

Taranee took a deep breath. She knew the fireballs were her thing. But the problem was she didn't really know how she'd created them! She'd just sort of closed her eyes and dreamed of dancing flames. Suddenly she felt a burst of warmth in her palm and ta-da!

Now that she put on the spot, Taranee felt paralyzed.

''Oh,'' she whispered, wringing her hands anxiously. ''What to do, what to do?''

Despite trying to command the fireballs out they continued their playful bobbing.

Cornelia and Irma stared at Taranee in alarm. ''Hurry!'' Cornelia hissed.

Almost sobbing with anxiety, Taranee finally stomped up to one of the fireballs. And before she knew exactly what she was doing, she found herself pursing her lips. She placing her face in front of the flame and blew.

The fireball disappeared, leaving nothing but a wisp of smoke.

''Cool!'' Taranee breathed. Then she began to run through the loft putting out the fireballs as Will went about taking care of the electrical devices.

In a brief instant the front door swung open into the dimly lit loft. ''Will?'' Mrs. Vandom said. She poked her head through the door apprehensively.''

''Um, Hi, Mom!"' Will chirped nervously from the couch.

''Hiya, Mrs. Vandom,'' Irma said, waving at Will's mother with a big, artificial smile.

''Some storm, huh?'' Mrs. Vandom said. She waved hello to the girls and Naruto with a friendly smile. Then she walked away to stash her raincoat in the closet.

The girls then relaxed knowing that their secret was safe for now at least.

000  
Chapter End  
000  
Now about the whole tea/water burn scene. I know technically in theory thermal kinetics wouldn't work that way in reality, but hey this is fiction. Also the girls are going to be stronger than they are in the series(comics) and will be using their powers in different ways. This includes having a specific sort of enemy that each of their powers excel at fighting.


	4. Passing On! New Beginnings!

The Guardian's Kitsune

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Naruto x ?

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Author's Note

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Story Start

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After Hay Lin left her friends at Will's apartment building, she began to hurry home. As she walked toward the Silver Dragon-the restaurant her parents had owned ever since Hay Lin was young, she found herself noticing each sidewalk cracked she stepped over. She stared broodingly. Then, idly, she started tapping her right toe on each crack.

Before she knew it, her left toe was tapping the sidewalk cracks, too.

A minute later, Hay Lin had only moved half a block. And that's when she realized she was dragging her feet.

Which would have been no big deal if Hay Lin had been, like, any other teenager. But she wasn't! She was...Air Girl. She was famous for skipping, not tripping. Running, not walking. She was Miss Energy, especially since she'd learned she was magical.

But today, Hay Lin's verve was completely vacant. Her heart just wasn't in it. The reason? Her grandmother was very sick.

If Hay Lin allowed herself to think about that, her vision began to blur and her lower lip started to tremble. So she didn't think about it.

She couldn't however, control the sadness that kept welling up in her chest. She couldn't even bring herself to step up her pack when the thunderclouds rumbling over her head finally opened up. While raindrops spattered her long, dark hair, Hay Lin simply continued to plod along.

Finally, she reached the restaurant. It was closed for the break between lunch and dinner. The empty dining room was eerily calm.

''Anybody home?'' Hay Lin called out timidly.

There was no answer. So she headed for the stairwell next to the kitchen that led up to their cozy apartment.

''Mom? Dad?'' Hay Lin called out as she tromped up the stairs. ''Are you there?''

When she reached the top of the stairwell, she heard her father's kind, quiet voice. But he wasn't talking to her. Her father was huddled in the middle of the hallway with a silver-mustached man.

It was Yan Lin's physician. ''What do you think, doctor?'' Hay Lin's dad was asking.

Hay Lin shrank against the tea-green colored wall and held her breath. her dad's back was to her. He didn't know she was there. But somehow, she couldn't bring herself to interrupt the conversation.

''Last month's flu weakened her quite a bit,'' the doctor admitted. ''She's having a hard time recovering.''

''I see,'' her dad said. He looked at his feet. ''The medication won't be of much help,'' he continued. ''The truth is, your mother is simply very old. She seems tired, quite frankly.''

The doctor has given her dad's shoulder a sympathetic squeeze as he added, ''We'll continue with all of the treatments. Stay close to her! That's what she needs most right now. Her family around her.''

Hay Lin felt her mouth go dry as the doctor's words registered with her. It sounded like he was saying there was nothing he could...nothing that could be done.

As her dad thanked the doctor, Hay Lin realized she was gasping for breath. The sound made the doctor peek over her dad's shoulder.

''Oh,'' he said. ''Hello, young lady.''

''Hay Lin!'' her dad said. He spun around and regarded his daughter. His gaze traveled from damp, puffy, blue coat to the puddle that was quickly forming around her shoes.

''You're dripping wet! Go change, before you catch something.''

Hay in tried to catch her dad's eye. She knew that the little bit of bluster was just a cover-up. Her dead was a big softie. And Hay Lin knew he was hurting inside.

'I guess he's not ready to deal,' Hay Lin thought, morosely. So she simply nodded.

''Okay, dad,'' she said, kicking her purple ballerina slippers into the stack next to the stairs and unzipping her coat. Then she walked down the hall toward her room.

As she tiptoed past her grandmother's room, a wispy voice wafted out toward her. It sounded a lot like the gentle chirping of a cricket.

''A warm south wind would work better than a hair dryer, little one.''

''Grandma!'' Hay Lin said. She peeked nervously into the sickroom. Then she walked in, slipping her coat off her shoulders.

''Go on,'' her grandmother said; peeking slyly into the hallway to make sure the coast was clear. ''Now that your father isn't around, let me see you use your powers.''

For the first time that day, Hay Lin felt a little zing of happiness shoot through her.

Her grandmother plus magic, she thought with a little giggle. 'I guess that's the formula.'

She tossed her coat and bag onto a chair and stood at the foot of her grandmother's bed. Then she closed her eyes and concentrated.

She imagined a cool breeze skittering across her cheeks. She pictured puffs of wind fluttering her grandmother's long, white hair. Hay Lin conjured up a friendly tornado, swirling around her.

And pretty soon, she felt the familiar whooosh of a real tornado, swirling around her body.

'It's happening,' Hay Lin thought with a grin. Involuntarily, she swooped her arms over her head. She squealed as her damp pigtails spiraled around her torso and her plum-colored miniskirt fluttered in the breeze. Now here was the part that her grandmother couldn't see which was too bad, because it was the best part.

This feeling.

Hay Lin felt sort of like she'd swallowed a million jet-puffed marshmallows. Or she'd suddenly become a bobbling balloon, barely tethered to earth by a string. Or she was living among the clouds.

She felt weightless, as light as air.

But then, as it always did, the magic began to dissipate. And when Hay Lin felt her pigtails dry and silky now, plop back down over her shoulders, she knew the moment was completely over.

She opened her eyes and smiled at her grandmother.

''What do you think?'' she asked.

''Ha-ha!'' Her grandmother cried. She clapped her feeble hands together. ''Splendid!"'

Hay Lin dropped to her knees next to the bed and smiled as her grandmother stroked her hair. Up close, she was startled by how sick her grandmother really looked. Her hair had gone wispy and thin. Her skin was pallid with illness. And her body looked tiny and weak inside her big, quilted, green robe.

Yet the cool, dry hand on top of Hay Lin's head felt powerful. As did her grandmother's word.

''I think you'll become very powerful and skilled, my little Hay Lin,'' she pronounced. Then she moved her hand to Hay Lin's cheek and gave it a pinch. ''But first, you'll have to put on a few pounds, if you don't want to northwest wind to carry you off!'

''The wind is my friend, Grandma,'' Hay Lin giggled. Then she felt her face grow serious.

''How do you feel today?'' she asked quietly.

_''Hmph_!' her grandmother said, looking even tinier as she scrunched back into the two fluffy pillows propping her up. ''Let's just say that I've seen better days.''

Then, as always, her grandmother turned the focus away from herself.

''And the other Guardians of the Veil?'' she asked. ''Are they well?''

''They're fine, Grandma,'' Hay Lin said. But she wasn't really thinking about her friends. She suddenly felt something desperate and hard well up in her throat. And she couldn't hide the fear in her voice when she asked, ''But you'll get better, won't you?''

''Of course!'' Her grandmother said, waving her skinny hand dismissively. ''I foresee great improvement. Now, help me sit up, Hay Lin there's something beneath my pillow.''

Hay Lin jumped to her feet and held her grandmother's arm as the elderly woman leaned forward. Then, when her grandmother nodded at her, Hay Lin thrust her hand beneath the pillows. Her fingers touched something smooth and powdery.

''A scroll?'' Hay Lin asked. She pulled out the rolled-up piece of paper. It was raggedy and the edges and yellowed with age. It was bound by a glinty brass ring.

''This is for you and your friends,'' her grandmother said quietly. ''Give it to Will; she'll know what to do with it.'''

''Wh-what is it?''

''It's a map of the twelve portals, little one,'' her grandmother said. She settled back against her pillows heavily. ''That is the number of openings in the Veil, the twelve passages that the creatures of Metamoor will attempt to cross through to reach our world.''

Gulping, Hay Lin unfurled the delicate parchment. She blinked. She turned the big piece of paper over. Then she peeked over at her grandmother. Was Grandma losing her mind as well as her health?

''There's nothing written on it,'' she said in confusion.

''Are you sure, Hay Lin?'' her grandmother replied with a glint in her eyes that scrunched her crow's feet into...a lot of wrinkles!

Hay Lin bit her lip and took another look at the ''map.'' And suddenly, she felt the paper do a little shimmy in her hands. With a metallic, zwwing noise, shadowy lines began to form on it.

''Oh!'' Hay Lin squeaked. She gasped as the shadows grew darker. They seemed to pulse and expand, growing more complex with each passing second. The lines rounded turned corners. Shadows scuffled into place around them. And suddenly, Hay Lin found herself looking at a familiar landscape, a city fanning out from an ocean beachfront surrounded by mountains on the other side.

Rather than a dry street map, this looked like an overhead photograph. Hay Lin could see the curve of every street, the rooftop of every unique building, even the little spit of beach that housed a black and white striped lighthouse, a light house Hay Lin recognized.

One she had visited on several field trips, yawning through the often nasally tone of the tour guide. ''This is Heatherfield!'' Hay Lin exclaimed as she spoke, the final street and building shimmered into place on the parchment.

Automatically, Hay Lin's eyes sought out her part of the town. And she noticed that one building on the map began to pulse. Then it started to glow, turning a glimmer pink.

''That shiny point...?'' she said.

''Is your school gym, where your first battle took place,'' Yan Lin confirmed. ''That was the first passageway. The flames closed it up.''

Then Yan Lin reached over the map and put a bony finger beneath Hay Lin's chin. She turned her granddaughter's impish face toward her own aged one. Hay Lin found herself staring into her grandmother's rheumy eyes. She could see a dozen different emotions in those eyes-love, weariness, hope, nostalgia, and most of all, resolve.

Above all, even above her illness, Hay Lin knew the grandmother was a very strong woman. And she seemed to be making every effort to pass that strength on to her granddaughter.

That was a lucky thing. Because her grandmother's next pronouncement chilled Hay Lin to the bone.

''But the next eleven portals,'' her grandmother informed her, ''you and the other Guardians will have to close yourselves.''

As Hay Lin spoke with her grandmother, someone was listening in. It was not an eavesdropping parent or one of the many microscopic, otherworldly creatures that inhabited Yan Lin's bedroom, guarding her from evil.

No, it was the Oracle, the being who had anointed the five Guardians of the Veil. He was gazing down upon the magical grandmother and granddaughter from the Temple of Kandrakar, the mystical palace that floated in the heart of infinity. The temple was suspended in a silvery substance that was lighter than air and purer than water.

Inside the temple, the Oracle strolled along a pathway that hovered magically above a lily-studded pond. The maze like walkways were endless, as was the distance between the pond's clear, warm waters and the temple's ceiling. The walls that enclosed the pond merely seemed to soar up into infinity. They were also covered with the colors and figures of a thousand otherworldly artists.

For it was only fitting that the minister of all things good and beautiful should be surrounded, at every step, with beauty.

The Oracle paused on the walkway and clasped his hands. Then he pulled his hand back into the flowing, bell-shaped sleeves of his long robe. Tibor-the ancient, stern man who always had and always would sand guard behind the Oracle's left shoulder stopped as well.

The Oracle's face broke into a peaceful smile. As the thoughts in his head became heavier, a flickering green window appeared in the air beside him.

Finally, the Oracle and Tibor began to watch over Hay Lin and her grandmother his messenger from the Temple of Kandrakar.

The Oracle felt pleasure suffuse his being as Yan Lin informed her sprightly little granddaughter that the Guardians mus close all the portals in the Veil themselves. Hay Lin, though daunted, did not lash out in fear of hostility.

The quavering Taranee or stubborn Cornelia might have responded differently, though, the Oracle thought. But that knowledge didn't crease his clear brow. For he knew that Taranee, Cornelia, and all the Guardians would soon learn to accept their fates gracefully and to master their powers. He knew, even if they didn't, that magic was in their blood and in their bones. It was their destiny-their calling.

The Oracle returned his gaze to Hay Lin who was curious about the map.

''The map doesn't show the portals,'' she was saying to Yan Lin. ''How can anyone use it?''

As if she were speaking to the Oracle's very thoughts, Yan Lin answered, ''I've already told you and your friends-with time you will learn everything.''

While Hay Lin continued to gaze at her grandmother quizzically, the frail, old woman, bowed her silverly head.

''Yes,'' the Oracle said to the old woman with powerful waves of telepathy. ''You may tell her. Tell her, Yan Lin, your story.''

With a small nod, Yan Lin looked up at her granddaughter and spoke.

''Once,'' she said in her reedy, whispery voice,''I, too, was a Guardian of the Veil, long before you. And once I, too, was very impatient, just as you are now.''

Hay Lin gasped and perched on the edge of her grandmother's bed, setting aside the precious map of Heatherfield's twelve portals.

''You were a witch, too?'' Hay Lin asked.

'Witch?'' her grandmother replied with a wheezy giggle. ''That's not exactly a compliment! But it certainly is funny. We aren't witches. We aren't even fairies.''

Taking Hay Lin's hand in her own, Yan Lin looked into her granddaughter's eyes and said,''We are something entirely different.''

Hay Lin's sparkly, almond-shaped eyes widened.

''There's something else,'' her ailing finger gesturing to her second drawer by her bed.

Hay Lin went over and pulled it open. She pulled out a pendant attached to a necklace with sterling silver backing with and a textured copper border with a little brass from the pendant is 2 pieces of Aventine beads!

''It's beautiful...'' The air girl said in awe.

''A gift your grandfather gave to me when we became engage.'' She said as a blissful look spread across her face. ''And I want you to have it. ''

''Grandma...'' Hay Lin mumbled softly as she held the object against her chest. Hay Lin didn't have too many memories of her grandfather and Yan Lin, who had nice things to say about the man didn't bring him up often.

''But in any case,'' Yan Lin continued, lightheartedly, ''I don't know anything anymore. It's your turn now, Hay Lin.'

_''It's a portent,'_ The oracle thought, of things to come.

The Oracle's musings like the conversation between the elderly and young guardian were interrupted by Hay Lin's father.

He poked his head through the old woman's bedroom door. He was holding up a bottle of dark liquid. ''It's time for your medicine mother,'' he said. He stepped into the room and smiled. ''And please, no fussing! I've tried it myself and it's very tasty!"'

''If it's so good,'' Yan Lin shot back,''...why don't you put it on today's menu?''

''Come on,'' her son chided. He took Hay Lin's place on the edge of the old woman's bed. ''You won't want to make a scene in front of your granddaughter.''

Yan Lin grimaced. ''Once I was the one who spoon-fed you young man,'' she teased. ''But it never crossed my mind to force so nasty on you!"'

''Very funny,'' the man said, pouring some of the amber liquid into a spoon and nudging it into his mother's mouth. She swallowed the elixir and made another face.

''See,'' he announced. ''That wasn't so bad, after all.''

''Bleah!"' Yan Lin said after she swallowed. She stuck her tongue out like a child.

The gesture, at once so funny and so poignant, brought a surge emotion to Hay Lin's heart. And the intuitive Oracle felt the emotion in his own. It was painful and bitter-sweet. He placed a cool hand on his chest and knew that its comfort was flowing earthward, into the heart of the young girl.

It worked. She smiled at her grandmother through her tears.

''Take care, Hay Lin,'' Yan Lin purred with a smile. ''And don't forget, eat!''

''I promise,'' Hay Lin whispered. She leaned over and placed one simple kiss on the old woman's cool forehead. ''Good night Grandma.''

Hay Lin walked out of the tucked the map-once again bound in its brass ring-safely into her coat pocket. The oracle had seen enough. He waved his hand through the air. The pulsing, green window into his thoughts wavered until it was no more than a cloud of vapor with the faint scent of lemon-grass and hyacinth.

Then he turned to his adviser, who bowed his gray, woolly head deferentially.

''And so,'' the Oracle announced, ''the map of the twelve portals has been delivered.''

''Honorable Yan Lin has done truly excellent work, Oracle,'' Tibor responded.

''Yes,'' the Oracle said. ''And this means her mission has been completed.''

''I see.''

''You know what to do, Tibor,'' the Oracle said. He strolled away from his adviser with a graceful gait that required no effort. ''Inform the council of the congregation.''

As the Oracle floated away, he pictured Yan Lin in the comfort of her soft bed, surrounded by the love of her family. After she passed away, she would rise through the heavens effortlessly traveling through galaxies and dimensions. Eventually, she would arrive in the stadium like fortress of the council.

There, all the council members-from stalwart Tibor to even the violate, wolf-like Luba would join hands and dance around Yan Lin. I would be a dance of celebration, of gratitude, of welcome.

''Yes,'' the Oracle murmured, as he glided through his beautiful temple. ''She shall have the welcome she so greatly deserves.''

Cornelia tromped up the grassy hill, holding a stick of smoldering incense out in front of her. Its blue smoke smelled like sandalwood and sea grass. She knew the scent was supposed to be comforting, but it only made her nose itch. She put a gloved hand over her mouth to stifle a sneeze. Then she glanced behind her friends.

Will's and Taranee's faces looked as stricken as Cornelia felt. Will's knuckles were white as she clutched her own stick of incense. And Taranee, carrying a basket of snowy flowers, was more tremblingly than usual.

Even Irma, Cornelia '_thought, a girl who can always crack a joke, looks shaken. I guess that's because this is one of the saddest things we've experienced. A funeral for Hay Lin's Grandmother.'_

A cool autumn breeze whisked over the hill. Cornelia flicked a tear from the corner of her eye and clutched her white shawl tighter around her shoulders. Then, at last, the large crowd of mourners completed their long, slow climb up the hill to the pretty meadow where the funeral service would take place. In their all-white clothes, the people looked like a flock of somber birds.

''White is the color of mourning in Chinese culture,'' Hay Lin had told Cornelia on the phone after she'd gotten the news about her grandmother. Her voice had been choked with tears. ''The color of snow.''

And then Hay Lin had to go help her parents. But before she'd hung up the phone, Hay Lin had told Cornelia something else. She'd informed her that her grandmother had also been a Guardian of the Veil in her own youth.

The news had shaken Cornelia. 'So, not only,' she thought, _'has magic suddenly invaded my life, but it's going to be a part of my life forever! I'm part of generations of Guardians. And someday, I'll have to pass the magic to some unsuspecting teenager.'_

'Unless you win the battle,' a voice inside her said. _'If you conquer Metamoor's evil invaders, there will be no more need for Guardians. It's up to you, Cornelia. It's up to you...to you...to you...''_

Cornelia tried to shake the pressure-cooker thoughts form her head and return her attention to the present. Several friends and family members were speaking to the group, saying affectionate, admiring words about Yan Lin.

Out of the corner of her eye, Cornelia saw mourners' hands holding bunches of white blossoms. Others clutched ivory ribbons.

''The color of snow,'' Cornelia whispered to herself.

She shivered as the funeral service neared its end.

Ribbons and flowers turning to snow, she thought. Yup, that makes about as much sense as anything else right now. I mean, how many more times will our lives change forever?

In school a couple of days earlier, everything had been normal. Well, as normal as it could be since the girls had become magical.

While the sun glinted off the tin roof of the Sheffield Institute, Cornelia had been hanging out with Will in the front courtyard. And she was enjoying the power that came with possession of a choice tidbit of gossip.

The instant Hay Lin, Irma, and Taranee had come into the courtyard, Cornelia blurted out. ''Did you hear the news? It's got everyone at school talking!''

''What news?'' Irma said. Cornelia couldn't help but relish, just a little it, the envious frown on Irma's face. Irma was usually the one with all the news.

_'That's what comes from being a busybody.'_ Cornelia had thought.

But what she'd said was, ''The police are in the principal's office!"

Hay Lin gave a delighted shriek as the girls fell into step and headed for the front steps together.

''Poor Mrs. Knickerbocker,'' she'd said, ''She's mean, but not so mean that she deserves to go to jail!''

Will snorted. ''Sorry to disappoint you, Hay Lin,'' Will said. ''I guess you didn't watch the news on TV this morning, did you?''

''No, why?'' Hay Lin gasped. ''What did I miss?''

''It's even in the papers!"' Taranee cried. ''A boy from our school disappeared!"'

Cornelia had sighed. Well, it looked like the gossip wasn't exactly hers to dispense, after all. But as least she could provide the missing boy's name.

''Andrew Hornby,'' she announced. ''Do you remember him?''

''Who?'' Hay Lin gasped, giving a little jump. ''Do you mean that gorgeous blond guy from the upper school?''

''Exactly,'' Will said. ''He didn't go home for three days straight! As of last night, he's officially a missing person.''

The group fell silent. Even Irma! Cornelia gave her chatterbox bud a sidelong glance. Irma didn't have one breathless remark to make? Not one clever quip?

Apparently not. In fact, Irma was looking a little freaked. Her usually rosy cheeks were sweaty pale. She was gnawing on her full lower lip, completely wrecking her carefully applied cranberry-colored lip gloss.

Irma's silence was lost on Hay Lin, Either.

''Wake up, Irma! Hay Lin said, giving her friend a nudge. She whipped a fat, felt tip pen from the pocket of her slouchy, blue jacket and scribbled ''Andrew'' on her palm in purple ink. Then she held her hand before Irma's blinking blue eyes.

''Isn't that the one you're crazy about?''

''Well, yeah,'' Irma rasped. Then she'd skidded to a halt. The girls were in the school foyer, still several feet away from their lockers.

''What gives?'' Cornelia had sighed, glancing at her watch. ''We're gonna be late for first period!"

''In any case,'' Irma said, her forehead furrowed with resolve. ''I've been trying to tell you guys something.''

As she spoke, an office door swung open behind her.

'And that's not just any door,' Cornelia had thought, catching her breath. _'That's Principal Knickerbocker's door! Taranee saw it, too.'_

''Look!'' she'd gasped. ''They're coming out!''

Dragging her friends with her, Cornelia had ducked behind a corner and peeked around it.

She saw the principal saying good-bye to two police officers. Then men began to stalk away, looking heavy and official in their blue hats and bulky cop jackets.

''Thank you for everything, ma'am,'' one of the men said over his shoulder. ''If we out anything, we'll let you know.''

''I'd appreciate that very much, Officer,'' Mrs. Knickerbocker said. ''Good luck.''

Cornelia looked down at Hay Lin with a grin.

''See?'' she said. ''They didn't take her away.''

Hay Lin smirked.

''Maybe another time!'' she said. Then she cackled mischievously.

''Hay Lin!'' Mrs. Knickerbocker suddenly called out. She'd spotted Hay Lin and the others peeking around the corner! ''I need to speak with you right away.''

''Did she hear me?'' Hay Lin asked her friends in a panicked whisper. They shrugged.

All Hay Lin could do was obey Mrs. Knickerbocker's order. Shooting her friends a terrified glance, she trudged into the principal's officer. As Mrs. Knickerbocker waited insider her officer door, she looked as imposing as ever. He wispy, white beehive quivered on top of her head, and her tiny eyes looked even tinier behind her horn-rimmed glasses. As Hay Lin ducked past Mrs. knickerbocker's bulky form.

Cornelia heard her squeak, ''I can explain everything, ma'am! It was only a little joke, and...''

''Sit down, Hay Lin...'' the principal began. Then she slammed the door shut.

What Cornelia knew now that Hay Lin hadn't been in trouble at all. Mrs. Knickerbocker had just gotten a call form Hay Lin's father. And then, behind the closed office door, she'd had to break the terrible news to Hay Lin: Her grandmother had passed away.

_'Now, here we are,'_' Cornelia thought sadly. 'While she'd been lost in her memories, Yan Lin's service had ended. The White-clad mourners began walking back down the hill. But Cornelia and her fellow Guardians lingered behind to wait for Hay Lin, who was giving her parents big, sad hugs. Hay Lin burst into tears and fell into her parents' arms.

_'If only we could use our magic to whisk away our pain.' _Cornelia thought. _'Then it might not be so bad having these strange powers.'_

Cornelia sighed and glanced at Will, Taranee, and Irma. They were standing next to her, looking miserable as they gazed at Hay Lin.

_'Does this magic thing freak them out as much as it does me?_' Cornelia had to wonder. _'I mean, I know Taranee is scared. And I have a feeling Will's a little weird-ed out that her powers are differing from ours. And Irma...Irma is probably only as upset as she would be if they canceled Boy Comet.'_

'But me,' Cornelia thought, _'I've always had this need to have my life in control. I love that feeling of balance I get when I'm doing a prefect spiral in a skating routine. Or when my room is put together just the way I like it, even if the way I like it is in a total mess.'_

'But now,' she thought, _'I have control over nothing._' Another round of tears welled up in her eyes. She looked down at her feet.'

Everything was changing. Her best friend, Elyon, and Elyon's parents were missing. And now she was also morning with Hay Lin for Hay Lin's sweet, departed grandmother.

Nobody asked me if I wanted to be a Guardian of the Veil, Cornelia thought miserably. As self-pity washed over her, she saw Hay Lin approach their little group. Looking even smaller and wirier than usual, Hay Lin gave Will a tight hug.

''Thanks for coming, guys,'' she whispered in a raspy, small voice. ''I love you all.''

Cornelia opened her mouth to respond. But she couldn't think of what to say. And that distressed her, too.

_'I can't even be a good friend to Hay Lin,'_ Cornelia thought, kicking angrily at a tuft of grass. _'Because, well...how can I be a good fellow Guardian when i don't even want to b a Guardian? What's more,' _she thought with a sigh, '_ever since Elyon vanished without a trace, I had nobody to talk to about all this.'_

Cornelia bit he lips as she thought of her best friend. Elyon had done more than vanish. Apparently, she'd also set a trap for Will, Hay Lin, and Irma. They'd been scared to deathly by some gruesome Metamoorian monsters!

For Cornelia, that was perhaps the most bizarre part of all of it that Elyon could betray her friends. Cornelia couldn't quite bring herself to believe that her best friend was capable of that.

'No,' she thought stubbornly. 'It can't be true.' As Cornelia told herself that, she became vaguely aware of Hay Lin extricating herself form her hug with Will. Hay Lin was peeking over Will's shoulder and blinking her teary eyes rapidly.

'No,' Cornelia thought again with a determined shake of her head. I just can't believe that Elyon's bad. Not...

''Elyon!'' Hay Lin suddenly scream.

''What?'' Cornelia blurted out. She saw Hay Lin pointing to a spot down the hill. Cornelia spun around and followed her friend's gaze. She saw a knotty old tree, looming over a patch of dirt at the very edge of the cemetery. A few dried leaves rustled, and a couple of forgotten grave markers leaned against a wrought-iron fence nearby.

But Cornelia saw nobody, and certainly didn't see Elyon.

She gazed back at Hay Lin. She felt confusion and pain and dashed hopes roil in her gut. But Hay Lin seemed still to be seeing something.

''It can't be!'' Hay Lin cried. ''Elyon!''

Cornelia turned to squint down the hill one final time. Again, she saw nothing. That nothingness made another round of tears flood her eyes.

'It really can't be,'' Cornelia thought, morosely. Hay Lin must be crazy with grief, hallucinating. Nobody's there. Certainly not Elyon.

Elyon stood beneath a gnarled old tree. Under her feet, there was no grass. There was only dirt, lumpy with tree roots, bedraggled, neglected. A cold breeze rustled her straw-colored bangs and blew her long braids this way and that.

And suddenly, Elyon realized something. She'd never noticed the absence of cold! In Metamoor, that is, where she had been living for...a few days? A few weeks? Elyon blinked slowly. She didn't know anymore. And what did it matter? She was home now, in Metamoor, where she finally belonged, after years of exile here on earth.

She stopped to enjoy the rush of cool, damp wind on her face. It was good to feel the change of weather. In Metamoor. it was always beautiful. The sun shone steadily, the air smelled of sweet flowers. It was never too hot and never too cold. There was no inconvenient rain of ominous darkness. Of course, there was no thrilling thunderstorms, either. Nor was there any variety...

Elyon shook her head lightly to halt her thoughts. She refused to feel nostalgia for the false life she had lived in Heatherfield. That would only give them and what they wanted.

Elyon hummed a tuneless little song and closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, the thought was gone. She couldn't even remember what the though had been. Only a hazy residue remained as easy to wipe away as a day's worth of dust on a table.

She blinked her enormous blue eyes lazily and shifted in her knee-high boots. Their soles scratched loudly in the dirt. In fact, Elyon began to feel a heightened awareness of all the noises...beneath her feet and in the air.

Caterpillars, undulating up the old tree trunk, made rustling, moaning noises that Elyon could her distinctly. The last dewdrop of the morning, falling off a tree leaf onto Elyon's royal blue garment, landed with a heavy, audible plop.

'This, Elyon knew, was her new magic. It had begun to burble up inside her.

A few moments later, all her senses, not just her hearing, began rising to extraordinary levels. The touch of a falling leaf glancing against her arm rippled through her entire body. The sun, glinting off faraway shafts of white marble, sparkled and danced in her eyes.

And that breeze! There were voices in it, the joyful call of songbirds flying hundreds of feet in the air and the soothing song of the dead beneath Elyon's feet.

Elyon was positively brimming with magic now.

And that meant it was time.

Elyon gazed up the hill. It was carpeted with a lush swath of verdant grass. She gave another lazy blink. Her mouth tightened into the smallest of smiles.

She didn't need to call attention to herself.

Her magic would call to 'them.'

'Them?'

That would be her ''friends'' the ones Elyon had left behind, the ones now mourning beside an open grave. Elyon had watched impassively as Hay Lin hugged Will and said, ''I love you all.''

Though Hay Lin's voice was just a raspy whisper, Elyon heard it clearly. Hay Lin could have been just inches away, whispering in her ear, sharing a secret, the way she used to during science class at the Sheffield Institute.

Again, Elyon closed her eyes to the memory before it could even solidify in her head. Then she felt it leave her mind like a puff of vapor swept away by the wind.

'A good thing, too. Because Hay Lin had just spotted her. Elyon watched the skinny girl withdraw from Will's embrace and point at her.

Elyon smiled her tight, tiny smile.

''It can't be!'' Hay Lin cried.''Elyon!''

A rustle of disbelief and confusion swept through the group. Elyon could feel their emotions thrumming through her own chest. She could feel Taranee clasp her hands in agitation.

She could sense the buzz of confusion inside Irma's head. She felt hope life in Cornelia's heart. And then she felt it die.

Because Elyon was no longer there. Or, rather, she was invisible due to her magic. It had reached its height, vibrating and shimmering through her with incredible power. In fact, the magic was so strong it threatened to fly away from her, like a skittish bird.

Since she'd arrived in Metamoor, Elyon had been practicing. Her mind had become increasing supple. She'd learned to control her unwieldy magic, to catch it, mold it.

''Elyon's here!"' Hay Lin insisted, pointing at the base of the tree.

Elyon was still there of course. The state of invisibility hid her from sight, but her very presence could not fool the air itself.

''What do you mean?'' Will asked. She gazed down the hill, seeing right through Elyon. ''Where?''

''She was down there,'' Hay Lin insisted. Her voice was still heavy with tears for her grandmother. ''I saw her!''

Hay Lin ran a few steps forward and called out to her once more.

''ELYON!"' she screamed.

Elyon did not answer.

Still, Hay Lin would not give up. ''She was there,'' she repeated to Will. ''I swear it! She can't have hidden so quickly!''

Will shrugged and glanced back at the rest of the group. ''Let's go take a look,'' she proposed. She started down the hill after Hay Lin.

'No,' Elyon thought. She squinted at Will, focusing on her with all her energy.

No.

''Maybe,'' Will began to say, ''...it was only...unhhnn...'''

Suddenly will staggered. She squeezed her eyes shut. Her hand flew to her tousled red hair and clutched at her head.

Elyon watched Will falter. Will looked dizzy, and her face was screwed up with confusion and, perhaps, pain. Elyon felt a flicker of concern in her chest. But it was quickly extinguished. Feelings like that belonged to the old Elyon. The one who had lived in Heatherfield.

As Will took a few unsteadily steps backward, Elyon blinked with calm satisfaction. Will was moving away from Elyon's tree, away from her.

''Will, are you okay?'' Taranee cried. All four friends turned to catch Will before her wave of dizziness knocked over her.

As Will's friends gathered around her, like a healing force field, Elyon watched, or did she feel? The wooziness drain from Will's head.

Will's brown eyes slowly fluttered open. Her fingers unclenched, and she smoothed a hank of hair from her now damp forehead.

''Yeah,'' she muttered slowly. ''I think I'm okay.''

Elyon blinked again.

And Will gave Taranee a smile.

''Everything's fine,'' she sighed.

Cornelia glanced over her shoulder at the base of the craggy tree, the space still inhabited by Elyon's spirit. Cornelia sighed. And then she announced, ''Let's go home, Hay Lin. You must have been mistaken. You're just upset.''

The girls began to climb back up the hill, heading toward the lingering crowd of mourners. As she followed her friends, Hay Lin shot one final glance over her shoulder.

Hay Lin is a dangerous one, Elyon. 'She, more than the others, believes in that which isn't seen. Smart girl,' she thought.

Then she felt the magic burble up within her once again. This time, it gave form to that which had been formless. Her body, her pale blond braids, her dress of rippling, silken fabric and billowing sleeves, all slowly became corporeal.

Elyon smiled. And this time, her smile was for real.

Because, in the same way that the magic had told her their thoughts and feelings, it now informed her that she was no longer alone.

Behind her was...he. Lord Cedric. Elyon didn't have to turn around the sense his presence or his beauty. She envisioned his long, silky hair rippling in the breeze behind him. His crimson coat framed his square shoulders with perfect precision.

Cedric's sharp features were ceased into a smug smile. ''Excellent, Elyon,'' he said, praising her.

A warmth suffused Elyon, like warm honey, like sweet satisfaction. She yearned to hear the words again.

And thus she did.

''Truly,'' Cedric whispered. ''...Excellent.''


	5. Into the Dark Dimension

The Guardian's Kitsune

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Naruto x ?

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Story Start

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At an undisclosed field the guardians were practicing their abilities. A bit of bickering and showing off was occurring, along with confusion as to what they were supposed to do. Despite practicing and trying to come up with answers much didn't happened that Sunday.

Then came Monday. Will had been experiencing headaches and tired spells lately. Not the best thing to do while at school. Currently she was in her Math class, Mss Rudolph's class, a blonde woman with large square frames and neatly styled short blonde hair who always wore her signature lime green scarf. Though thanks to Cornelia's magic she was able to cause the bell to rang early and get them out of class.

While walking alongside Will and Taranee, Cornelia noticed something. ''Hey Will? Isn't that your mom?'' The blonde pointed out.

Will stood there shocked that her mom and Kuiinshi were at a cafe.

''See you in school tomorrow, Will!'' Cornelia said as she and Irma carried on ahead.

''You in there Froggy-chan?'' He asked causing the girl to leap in surprise.

''Don't do that...'' She scolded smacking his arm. It seemed certain traits ran in the family.

''Aaw...but I like doing that. It's so much fun,'' he said with a pout.

''I didn't see you in school today,'' Will said as Naruto rubbed his neck and scowled.

''That drunk bastard didn't completely register me. I should be in tomorrow though. Who knows, we might have all the same classes.''

''Might? Or did Mr. K pull a few strings?'' She asked as Naruto shrugged.

''Probably did...you don't sound too ecstatic about it.'' He said, faking hurt across his face.

Will's eyes widened as concern spread across her face. ''No! No, that's not it. '' She wrapped her arms around Naruto's neck pulling him into a hug. ''I'm glad you're here...''

''Me too...''

''Aaw...'' They heard a coo and broke apart to see the smiling forms of Kuiinshi and Susan.

''Isn't that sweet Suzy-Kat?'' He said placing his hand over hers.

''Young love...remember when we were their age?''

''Yeah pretty well...I mean we're pretty young ourselves so it wasn't that long ago.'' He quickly added as K was quite sensitive about his age.

''That I agree with.''

''So when's the wedding?'' He asked putting the focus back on them.

''Mom...'' Will whined as her face became flush in embarrassment.

''Alright you two like I told you last time you better be responsible. We don't need any little surprise nine months from now,'' Kuiinshi joined in.

''Oh? What about you two?'' Naruto countered. ''Getting pretty chumy at lunch don't you think? Are we going to be dealing with a little surprise nine months from now?''

''Are they?'' Kuiinshi turned to Susan, not going to let himself be outdone by his little brother so easily. ''I mean if we do end up together won't that make them cousins or something.''

Naruto's mouth dropped. 'Bravo you bastard. Bravo.' Naruto turned to Will who looked horrified.

Susan thankfully had spent enough time around Kuiinshi to recognize some of his cues. She even started to enjoy his and Naruto's insane rants or jokes that threw people for loops.

''I don't know...I would be Naruto's new aunt...or is that big sister?''

''Yeah and that would make me step-daddy for Will. How would that work? They would be brother-sister cousins.''

Naruto scowled and was about to continue, but for his little Pettanako's sake he decided to give up. ''Ok you two win...just please stop.''

''I guess we should before we scar them for life.'' He said with a shrug.

The Guardians of Water and Wind were on their way from a practice session. The girls had spent the better part of the day practicing and getting to know their powers. For the most part the session proved rather interesting and they all agreed to find time to gather again. The Air guardian was wearing a dress skirt, pink in color with a red zipped up jacket over it. The water guardian was wearing a long jean skirt and pink button up shirt.

''What was that horrible sound?'' Irma asked, stopping in place.

''My stomach! I'm starving, it's late already. Let's go home!'' Hay Lin exclaimed, her hands together in a pleading gesture.

''And leave Miss Rudolph's secret alone? Never!"

The Water guardian exclaimed. ''I didn't admit anything yet. I want to make sure that my thoughts aren't completely useless. Hey, I got it. You aren't doing anything tomorrow morning are you?''

''Of course I am! Tomorrow is a school day.''

''We spend 20 years of our lives in school! You can have a day of freedom once in a while. ''

''It's your fault if I get bad grades.''

Hay Lin pushed down her trade mark goggles over her eyes.

'But what if she really is a monster? Don't be so selfish, Hay Lin. Only you can save the earth.

''No, no, and one more time no.''

'Yeah, but are you coming or not.''

The air guardian placed her hands on her hips. ''Didn't you hear me? You understand what 'no' means?''

Hay Lin eventually relented. They watched the house as the math teacher left.

''Is everything clear?''

''Nobody's around.'''

They snuck over the gate. Hay Lin was nervous, afraid the teacher would come back, but Irma was confident that had six hours because it was a school day. She attempting to break open with a card but it snapped in half.

Hay Lin simply uses the key then placed it back under the base using her wind. Irma though was determined to find some proof that there math teacher was a monster. But then it turned out Rudolph was only running a quick errand so the girls hid in a closet. From the closet they witnessed the teacher's horrible transformation into some kind of reptilian/canine/space monster hybrid beast with glowing red eyes and horns. The noise made from Irma's fainting alerted the creature to their presence. ''So you still have trouble in math?''

''Yeah...I was actually on my way to my teacher when we bumped into each other.''

''Hey you don't think she'll mind if I come along right? I mean since I'll be coming to class and some teachers like when students take initiative and stuff.''

''I don't think she'll mind at all...''

She said as she followed the address that was written on the card given to her. They arrived on the step and Will rang the doorbell.

''Hello Will come in.'' She paused noticing Naruto.

''I hope you don't mind if I brought a friend. He just moved here and plans on joining the school.''

''No..not...at all.'' The woman answered, the tone of her voice changing slightly. ''Come on in...''

Naruto felt a sudden chill and then something stung his nose. He stuck his nose up in the air and sniffed.

''Naruto?''

He closed his eyes and sniffed a few more times. They popped open. The door was kicked open.

''Will it's a trap/Look out Will! It's a trap!'' He and the bound Irma simultaneously cried out, the latter somehow managing her gag off and kicking open the door.

''M-Miss Rudolph! W-What is going on?''

Naruto shot forward, a knife sliding out of his sleeve which he used to slash the ropes. The woman had changed and ran up the stairs.

''Quick! You and the others have to change!''

Pulling out the heart Will transformed. The three of them flew up and noticed a portal was open. ''The creature is gone. Focusing on closing the portal!''

''You heard him girls...steady...wait for...Strike now!"' Will exclaimed as Quintessence, Water, and Air stroke the portal closing it. The backlash knocking the three warriors back and out of their forms.

''You girls okay?'' Naruto asked, lowing his arms that he used to shield himself as Will nodded.

While this was going on the final guardian was contending with a little problem of her own. ''No!'' Cornelia stated firmly, arguing with her just as stubborn sister Lillian.

''Why can't I stay here to play with you?'' The little girl pleaded as the Guardian of Earth glanced down at her with a scowl.

''Because! Isn't that enough for a reason, Lillian?''

''Are you going to talk about boys? I'll tell mom?'' The little girl threatened.

''What's going on here?'' Asked a woman, she looked like an older version of Cornelia, her shade of hair slightly darker and she was wearing glasses. Said woman scooped the little girl up in her arms.

''We have to read our homework, mom. Could you put this little monkey back to its cage?'' Cornelia said gesturing to the little girl who stuck her tongue out at her.

''I know you like little your sister very much really.''

''Of course mom. And if you keep her out of my room. I will like her in the future too.''

Setting the girl down and leading her away. ''Come on, Lillian. Let's let your sister do her homework,'' The woman said as the little girl hmmped.

''You can come out now...'' Will said as Naruto became visible resulting in both Taranee and Cornelia yelped in surprise.

''Give someone a warning next time.'' Cornelia snapped.

Moving on their attention was focused on the book that was found at Elyon's house was brought out. With Will's suggestion that the five girls unite their power they were able to break the spell on the book.

**_'Respect Metaworld's King's name and bow in front of his shadow! The seal of Prince Phobos!'_**

Something shot out of the book, dark energy filling the room.

Calling out to the Heart Will was able to vanish. Just in time as the door opened. Naruto vanished from sight.

''I heard you were talking about boys.''

'Lilian, please go away.'' Cornelia said trying to catch her breath.

''Three portals to go...Nine more to close...and I assure you that this Elyon girl's disappearance isn't a coincidence,'' Naruto spoke gazing at the sky. The six made their way to the basement at the Browns. The portal had opened once again. The girls transformed. Flames sparkled to light.

''Taranee, could you help us and make the flames a little less dangerous?''

''Of course Will.''

''Flames, listen to me.'' She commanded. ''Did you hear? Die down already!"'

The flames evaporated. ''Wow it worked.''

''Good! Now we can go in.''

Cornelia though didn't like the idea. ''Wait! What happens if we get stuck on the other side?''

''We have Phobos's seal! If it helped us in, it will help us out too.'' Will stated confidently.

''Hah! Who 'miss know it all' you think you are? You speak like you had been doing these things for ages.''

''Wh...I know Cornelia...but, would you believe me, if I'd tell you that somebody tells me how things are?''

''Elyon may be on the other side. There is a good reason to go in.'' Irma stated.

''Exactly? Who's coming with me?''

They all stepped forward. They stepped in. Will started to get a little woozy and Naruto caught her.

''Uuh...''

''Are you okay?''

''Yeah, it's this strange feeling I've been getting. It's stronger than last time.'' They exited out of the whole and seemed like they were still in Heatherfield.

''Something's wrong. It's so quiet in here. Listen! Not a single sound!'' Soon enough the place around them started to crumble. They were in another world.

''Welcome Guardians. We have been waiting for you...''

The two creatures from that gym along with other behind them stood behind them.

''...and so we decided to make you the reception you deserve.'' The humanoid reptile stood aside to reveal the missing girl Elyon in royal blue robes. The girls charged over glad to see her.

''Elyon!'' Will exclaimed. ''What have they done to you?''

''Nothing, I'm fine, girls. It's nice to see you again.''

''We are going back home and you are coming with us! You can't stay here in this horrible place.''

The Sandy blond haired girl laughed at this. ''This 'horrible' place had a name. Welcome to Meridian, my friends. Welcome home! Stay with me. You will like this place!''

Of course even in Danger Irma was her usual joking self. ''Of course! I was thinking that maybe I could try to get my parents to buy a house from here.''

''You aren't going to stay? That's too bad.'' Elyon remarked.

''In that case, we have no choice. GUARDS CAPTURE THEM!'' the snake ordered as the group of six was attacked.

**''In that case, we have no choice. GUARDS CAPTURE THEM!''**

''Girls time to move!''

Several explosions erupted among the guards. Body parts were sent flying. Those who managed to avoid the explosion tags were blasted by Taranee's fire or sent falling in a pit courtesy of Cornelia.

''Hurry! Let's get out of here!'' Will exclaimed.

**''Master! They are too strong for our soldiers.''**

**''Call Frost here now! Those pitiful excuse of guards who managed to survive will be tortured for there weakness.''**

**''Yes. Right away lord Cedric.''**

The group of six were ratted out my some elf creature. Apparently the big blue skin brutish creature with blond hair as some sort of hunter.

Meanwhile Naruto and Will were arguing about his insistence to stay and be a distraction.

''Naruto...what if the portal closes before you make it back? You'll be stuck.''

''Will I'm telling you I will be fine. You believe in me right?''

**''Do you hears me? Are you coming outside, or am I coming there?''**

Frost's voice echoed outside the coal mine.

''You don't have time! Go!'' He shouted as he shout out the entrance kunai in hand. He threw the kunai at which Frost block with his sword.

''Naruto!''

'Will come on!'' Taranee cried out as she and Cornelia dragged the holder of the Heart as they ran for it.

''**Crimson!''**

A large, green, rhinoceros-like mount charged at Naruto. His heavy steps made it easy for Naruto track with his hearing. Naruto back flipped over the creature and landed on all fours. Frost charged after the girls only for Naruto to move in between them. Frost slashed several times at which Naruto dodged with ease.

''**You're quick human! But my sword is even quicker!'' **A cage of energy surrounded Naruto.

''Are you sure?'' Naruto asked as he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The girls made it to one of the roofs of the building.

''Will...he said he would be okay right?''

''I'm not leaving him Cornelia.''

_''Will it's ok...Go! I'll be okay.''_

_''I can't...''_

_''You can and you will. Find and meet with Kuiinshi. He'll know what to do. Now go!''_

_''N-Naruto..." _ Will thought as she did her best to suppress the tears that threatened to fall. "Kandrakar's heart, take us home.''

''Wha? Weren't you just the one talking about not leaving him?''

''We have to go...it's what he wants.'' The five of them appeared back in their home dimension.

A sad look was plastered across Will's face. To her surprised Hay Lin pulled her into a hug.

''It's going to be okay,'' Her friend comforted her.

''Yeah...it will be...before we left Naruto sent me a message mentally. He told us to go to Kuiinshi. He stayed behind purposely to help us. To gain information on our enemy. If it's the last thing I do I will make sure I bring him back from Meridian. No matter what it takes!'' Will promised.


	6. Seeking Aid!

The Guardian's Kitsune

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Naruto x ?

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Author's Note

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I left off on this chapter before my Hiatus. Sorry about that, but I'm back and I'm fixing up all my stories. I've improved from where they left off and since they are all their separate entities we don't have the writer's block, plot holes, or other such problems that made them difficult to work around.

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Story Start

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Hay Lin clutched the bus pole so hard her knuckles went white. She glanced at Will whose face was pale with worry, sadness, and fear. When the guardian of Air had initial met the red head, she was quite guarded and unsure. Eventually she started opening up to the group. Hay Lin had always been a free spirited and creative girl growing up. She was quite bright when it came to things like music, art, and other projects that used creativity instead of just regurgitating fed facts that had been a practice of education for well over a century now. As she was now, she was a cheerful girl, confident, and optimistic.

Though, when she was younger she was a bit insecure when she first moved to Heatherfield. Being one of the few Chinese descent citizens of Heatherfield she stood out because of her fascination with comics and aliens. She had only started coming out of her shell after the move when she befriended Irma, who shared a sense of humor similar to her own. It was because she found a friend that the insecurity she held when she first arrived vanished and she became more like herself.

It was those memories of being an outsider, of being different that made her want to reach out and befriend Will when the future guardian of Quintessence entered the Silver Dragon.

Seeing Will sad made her sad as well. When they first learned they had magical powers, it was supposed to add some spice to their lives. Now since it began it only seemed to put people in harm's way.

Draining the life, the color out of them.

And if Hay Lin needed anything in her life, it was color, in the paint she splashed on her art projects, the Magic Markers she used to scrawl impromptu ideas on her palm, and the kooky outfits she devised every morning to wear. Today, for instance, Hay Lin was a vision of purple...purple leg warmers bunched around her ankles; lavender goggles cocked jauntily on top of her glossy, dark hair; a swishy, eggplant miniskirt; and a bright fuchsia book bag.

Then there was the 'other' color in Hay Lin's life...the silvery swirls that burst from her palms every time she unleashed her magic. The element of air that she controlled at her very finger tips could make the heaviest of objects fly like a dandelion in the gentle breeze. Such power in the hand of once ordinary school girls. Not so much ordinary now if one wanted to be factual. They were guardians of the veil now.

The Veil, a mystical barrier placed by an even more mystical being separated the earth and the evil world of Metamoor. In Metamoor a snakelike creature, his lumpish, blue henchmen, and a mysterious and definitely evil prince named Phobos resigned.

At the end of every millennium, the veil underwent a nasty change. It thinned and weakened, and even suffered from some damage...tears in the supernatural fabric. Those tears had turned into a series of cosmic doorways; twelve portals. And those portals...all located somewhere in the guardians' seaside of Heatherfiled...where direct routes to earth for the dark inhabitants of Metamoor.

That all changed when Elyon, a wispy, boy-crazy, sweet Sheffileder had taken up residence in metamoor and tried to bring them over to the dark side. Even now, as a result Will's friend had been captured leaving their once confident de facto leader an unnerved rest.

When the bus shuttered to halt on a rather familiar corner, the solemn quintet got off in silence. Hay Lin was amazed at the sight of the large and rather lavish property. It looked like it had five, no six floors.

''Wow...and here I thought Corny was rolling in the money,'' Irma joked, trying to add some humor to the situation.

Though no one laughed. Will took a step forward and found herself trembling. Fears of what Kuiinshi would say or do once he found out his little brother had been captured. She couldn't bear the thought of one of the few people that knew her, that really knew her would hate her.

Would he no longer welcome her with open arms and a smile. Would be no longer be the friendly big brother/uncle figure that teased her and Naruto about their friendship/relationship? Would be break off all ties? Including with her mother?

What if no one else would want her mother? The Vandom family would be sure to use their money and influence to spread their events of things. Her mother had been accused more than once of having an affair. She had been accused of a lot of things, that night; the horrible last night in Heatherfield, Thomas; that man had accused Susan of being a conniving gold digger that got pregnant so she could get her hands on his family money.

That she was stealing his life away from him. That more than anything was almost as painful as being beaten. Her father basically admitted that she was a mistake and didn't want her. That one statement completely shattered any hopes that Thomas could ever had of reconciling with his wife or daughter. Would she essentially be ruining her mother's only chance at happiness if Kuiinshi no longer wanted either of them in their lives?

It was too much...in tears Will collapsed to her knees.

''Will!'' They all cried out, rushing to her. They crowded around her, Taranee putting her arms around the girl in a comforting gesture. ''Will? What's wrong? Are you hurt? What happened?''

''It's...all...my...fault...he's...going...to...hate...me.'' She cried out in-between sobs.

''It's not your fault Will. All of us were there and none of us could do anything.'' Taranee tried to comfort.

It took Will a few minutes to calm down before she began explaining.

''I...My mother and I moved here from Fadden Hills. There was a reason why I don't like talking about it.'' She started, taking a deep breath.

''I've heard of that place. It's actually quite well off and mainly nice families lived there. Not to mention the fashion.'' Cornelia listed off as she went into a slight daydream about the different brands and styles of clothing.

''Nice? Hah, nice my ass.'' Will said bitterly as her trembling stopped and her face twisted into an angry scowl.

The other four girls recoiled in shock. Never had they heard Will sound so bitter or swear before.

''People aren't as nice as they always appeared on the outside. Take my fa...no not my father. That man Thomas Vandom. Business man at day, Wife and Child abuser at night,'' Her tone still bitter and hateful.

The girls gasped, a mixture of feelings between them. Hay Lin looked like she was close to tears. Irma was shocked silence; there was no comment or joke that could shake off this situation. Taranee responded by only hugger Will tighter and Cornelia looked like she wanted to say a comforting word, but something held her back.

''There at Fadden Hills they're not too accommodating to outsiders or those who aren't in their class. They made it clear to me and my mother that we were second class, only accepting us as Thomas's wife and daughter with fake smiles. Whenever either one of us did something he considered out of line he would discipline us as he called it. It didn't help that his family had major pull and often made contributions to the Police and Hospital to make things go away.

My so called friends at school, they hated me because I was different. I was my own individual. Naruto...he was the only one that saw me for me and cared about me. Kuiinshi, despite his wealth and status treated me like I was family as well.

That didn't go to well with my father who insisted my mother was having an affair with him when they were just good friends. Recently he had lost his job, one of the family businesses had gone under and he was drinking heavier than usual.

He had tried to kill my mom then went after me. I can't remember too much of what happened. Naruto showed up...I woke up at the hospital and shortly after that here my mom and I end up in Heatherfield. Kuiinshi, sent us money and refurbished our apartment seeing as between my mom and I we hardly had enough money for gas money. I thought things were finally going to get better once we moved here you know. Now I've ruined the lives of the three people that meant the most to me.''

At the end of Will's statements none of them felt more ashamed then Cornelia did. She couldn't remember all the times she had put down the others for not having the right tastes or a sense of fashion. She was beginning to feel a little sick. All that time and Will had been holding in that? Not saying a thing at her sniping comments. Is that why she seemed so guarded when they first met. Did she think she was going to hurt her like the people at Fadden Hills did. ''Will...I...''

''A week would have been nice...'' A voice said startling them. They turned around and saw the dark skinned owner of the lavish mansion.

''Mister T-Tentai...I...''

''Will!'' He interrupted her sternly causing her to flinch. _'Here it comes', _She thought waiting for those terrible words.

''I told you not to be so formal with me didn't I? Just call me K.''

The looks of confusion on the girl's faces were priceless. _'Why? Why is he being so nice to me?'_

''You and your friends come on in.'' He said lifting up four bags of groceries. I just stopped at the store so my refreshments will have an expanded variety of choices. The girls found themselves in a living room that was bigger than most houses. There was a Pool table, Air Hockey Table, Large Plasma Screen TV, and possibly the richest looking Chess Table set and pieces known to man. One was made out of Crystal while the other was Gold. Which one was white and the other black was unknown.

Will sipped from her bottle of Mountain Dew, avoided making eye contact with Kuiinshi.

''I hope you girls haven't been having too much trouble with your duty. You're all probably filled with questions.''

Hay Lin was to first to speak up, ''You knew my grandmother right? Naruto mentioned it.''

''Aah yes... I knew her quite well. It's been a few years since I last seen her. Those were good times.'' Kuiinshi chuckled as he noticed their faces. "Where's that idiot at? Don't tell me he get lost or something."

Will fidgeted a bit. ''Kui..I...Uum. It's all my...''

''Don't you dare!"' He interrupted her rather fiercely causing her to jump back. ''If you're taking the blame then do so on your own time. With the others here I assume its business. My time is quite valuable you know so speak.''

Will whimpered, her fears seemed to be coming true. 'You _Bastard!' _She looked up in shock.

''T-Taranee...''

''You two-faced bastard! Will is torn up inside. She thinks it's her fault that Naruto chose to stay behind and now she thinks you hate her. You're supposed to be her friend aren't you? Where do you get off saying those things?''

Will found her face heating up.

''Yeah. I can't believe someone who was friends with my grandmother could be so mean!''

''H-Hay Lin...''

''Will doesn't need someone like you who is going to tear that her self-confidence.''

''Irma...''

''You're horrible! If you're just going to attack Will were leaving. Her real friends are what she needs. Not some poser.''

''Cornelia!'' Will started tearing up. They really cared about her.

Kuiinshi clapped, ''Bravo Will, Bravo; you've picked some amazing friends. They passed the test though your lack of faith in me hurts me a bit.'' He said with a pout.

''Wha?'' she stammered out, confused by what just happened.

Kuiinshi shook his head and smiled at her, ''How could I ever hate you? You're like a daughter to me and I hope we can be family one day.'' He then made a shushing noise.

''Don't tell your mother though. I want to surprise her.' He said grinning.

''That was a test!'' Cornelia cried out in disbelief.

''It's what my associates and I refer to as a Test of Character. I needed to access what kind of bond you girls have. Anyway, Will you should talk to your mother about these feelings you keep bottling up inside. She's really worried about you. We knew the move wasn't going to be a magical fix that would cure everything, but we were hoping that some of these insecurities have passed.'' He sighed as he took a sip of his Sprite. ''I have questions as well. Do any of you girls play Chess?'' He waited for them to answer when Taranee stepped forward. ''Join me...will you?'' He asked with a kindly hand.

''What about your brother? Do we really have time for this?'' Taranee was confused by how casual the man was being about his brother being kidnapped and held hostage.

''That Knucklehead will be ok. Just have some faith in him.'' Kuiinshi said leading the girls over to the Chess Table. He sat on the side with the gold pieces. ''A simple game of chess...here how this will go. Each time a piece is taken the person who takes the piece can ask one question. No matter how personal the question must be answered to the best of the ability unless this question will harm the speaker or others involved. The one who wins by Checkmate can ask five questions. In my case I can ask one of you five or each of you one question or each of you can ask me a question.''

And with that the game began.

Hesitantly, she had moved a pawn. And he had moved a pawn. And the game was on.

For a while they played in silence, and as the game progressed each accumulated a pile a captured pieces. Taranee still had her king, queen, one bishop, both rooks, and three pawns. Kuiinshi was playing with his king, both bishops, a knight, and two pawns.

Kuiinshi had asked them minor questions, about when their powers first manifested and the incident with the portals.

Taranee's questions were more productive to the Guardian's cause. Like what Kandrakar was at which Naruto explained was a place created to house those who watch over worlds and dimensions. About the Heart, which he explained was 'unique' among other hearts though it did merge with its holder's body when not in use. He also explained some of the abilities to wield Absolute Energy (With the Heart), which used a pinkish energy and could also use in conjunction with the element of Quintessence which manifested in Lightning like energy.

Now Taranee has sitting with her chin in her hands. It was her turn, and she was trying to decide between two moves. One would leave her queen open but would capture one of his bishops, and the other one would keep her pieces safe but only remove one of his pawns from the board.

''You seem to be stuck.''

She moved a bishop and captured one of his bishops, then looked up at him. ''Just contemplating my question. Does Naruto sincerely care for Will?'' Said girl and the blond's bother were both surprised.

''Aah...something in a different category. He's gonna be pretty pissed, but yeah; Naruto does care for Will. You see it goes beyond that. In order to understand Naruto's feelings you have to understand him exactly. And in order to understand him you need to learn who he was. You need to know his story. That's something you need to ask him yourselves."

Kuiinshi picked up his knight and swept Taranee's queen off the board. ''I do no one thing. I think the two of them are good for each other." Taranee knocked away one of Kuiinshi's pawn. ''What about you? Can we consider you an ally?''

''A mentor if I'm truly needed. I have no reason to torment you five. If you girls are going to hope to survive you're going to have to get serious and start training. About learning everything you can about this situation."

Glancing down, Taranee noticed that her king was in danger of being taken by Kuiinshi's bishop. She smiled when she saw his king sitting all alone on the other side of the board, a clear path between it and her rook. Picking up the rook, Taranee placed it on the square right next to his king. "Well Chess Master it looks like things are in my favor.''

Kuiinshi shook his head and chuckled. ''I'm afraid you're far too young to beat me Fire Guardian." Kuiinshi picked up his own bishop and knocked Taranee's king away. "Good game...I can see you're the intelligent one, no offense to the others. You might want to look into strategy.'' Setting back up the pieces he continued speaking. '' Chess Masters are my best yet my worst. Foes I have an easy time against and the hardest time again. There is no such thing as a stupid Chess Master. Just one that's not as smart as others. A word of advice. Don't be quick to betray those you've known for so long all because a fresh new face tells you lies about that person. Confirm with that person before you decide to be foolish and break ties. That and certain people like my little brother in particular; he doesn't take being betrayed too well and is quick to flash a false smile. That is all I wanted to say.'' Kuiinshi placed a comforting hand on Will's shoulder. ''You're stronger then you believe you are.''

''We will!'' Will stated, her confidence starting to come back. _'Just wait for me Naruto. I'm coming!'_


	7. Preparations!

The Guardian's Kitsune

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Naruto x ?

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Story Start

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Cornelia stood at the edge of the water. She crossed her long arms over her chest and gazed out over the water. The stretch of buildings that made up Heatherfield was just beginning to glitter with evening lights. Cornelia thought she could even make out the steel-and-glass-skyscraper she lived.

Beyon the tableau, the sky was turning flame-orange as the sun set. It looked shimmery and almost painfully pretty. As it dipped even lower on the Horizon, Cornelia shook her head over the contradiction of it all. There was the sun...A serene, beautiful, perfect sphere, getting ready to dunk itself into the rolling, cold ocean.

_'I know just how the sun must feel,' _Cornelia thought with a sigh. _I was living this life that anybody would called charmed. I have a fabulous Wardrobe. Skating medals. A nice enough family, if you don't count my annoying little sister, Lilian. And most of all, an amazing group of friends. Friends I could always count on to be there for me._

_Now my nice, orderly life is about to be plunged into chaos. That stinks, she continued to muse petulantly._

''Where is Will? It's cold here,'' Cornelia said brusquely, turning to look at the other three members of Witch. They had just arrived after she had. Now they were standing behind her, Hay Lin and Irma huddling around Taranee for warmth who produced a ball of flame about the size of her hand for warmth.

''She called me to say she's running a little late,'' Irma said with a shrug. ''I think she wanted to take a shower.'' As Irma spoke, a particularly large breaker crashed onto the sand.

Cornelia had to skitter backward to avoid getting her sneakers soaked. ''We'll be taking a shower ourselves if we stay here much longer,'' she declared. ''These waves are out of control!''

Irma flashed Cornelia one of her trademark, cocky grins...the kind that usually made Cornelia's blood boil. But this time, Irma had a welcome retort.

''Don't be afraid of the water, Cornelia,'' she said. ''At least not when I'm standing next to you!" Irma planted her red shoes in the sand and turned to face another frothy wave that was headed straight for them. She threw her arms into the air. A shower of blue magic arched out into the ocean, dappling the giant wave just as it began to speak. The moment Irma's mystical blue stream hit the water; the wave seemed to stop in its tracks. In fact, it reared back like a shying horse! It flipped over, flinging itself back into the sea without ever connecting to the shore.

Irma turned to Cornelia, Haylin, and Taranee with a pleased smile and dusted sparks of excess magic off her hands.

Cornelia felt a little spasm of jealousy. She knew just how Irma was feeling just then. After all, Cornelia had used her own swirls of green magic to make vines grow instantly out of the earth. She could break through walls of thick brick and even metal. She'd sped up time and tidied her bedroom without lifting a finger. She'd known true power and she'd been thrilled by it. But, unlike Irma, Cornelia felt compelled to rein her magic in when she was in public.

_'Out magic is a gift and a curse,' _she thought broodingly._ 'I'd never use it as frivolously as Irma does. Besides, what if someone saw us? They'd think we were circus freaks! We'd become instant outfielders.''_

Outfielders, of course, was name given to the unpopular kids at Sheffield Institute. Cornelia had always been an Infielder at school and she _really_ _wanted _to keep it that way. That meant keeping her magic a thoroughly private matter.

_'If that's even possible. Frankly I feel like I'm losing control of this whole situation. I mean, Will's calling the shots. And, if I want to be a team player, I just have to go along with what she says.'_

Cornelia was even more disturbed by the mystery surrounded Meridian. The place was only a dark and shadowy puzzle in her mind. She had no idea of what to expect when the girls crossed through the portal in a few minutes. She didn't even know if they'd survive this!

_Of course, Irma and Hay Lin aren't thinking so bleakly, _Cornelia thought, glancing at her grinning friends. They're still giddy over Irma's little parlor trick.

Taranee seemed to be lost in thought. ''I can't believe what you just did!"' Hay Lin was sputtering to Irma. ''Can you control all these waves?''

''Well,'' Irma said with false modesty. ''It's not like I can make them go away. But I _can _ask them to take their foamy selves elsewhere!''

''Tell them to stay far away from our cave!" called a voice behind the four guardians. They spun around in time to see Will pedaling her bike to the edge of the beach and grinding to a halt. She looked windblown and harried. ''I think it's time for us to head for that portal.''

''Will,'' Irma breathed, ''Finally!"

Giving them an apologetic look, Will got off her bike. Then the girls walked over the huge, looming cave whose mouth was the shape of a perfect scallop shell. As they went inside, Irma said, ''Since you've just arrived in town, Will; and you're relatively new to Taranee, let me introduce you to the shell cave!"'

''A bit unusual!" Taranee commented adjusting her glasses.

''Kinda strange!"' Will agreed, gazing up at the almost perfectly round, craggy ceiling. As she peered into the cave's gloom, she scratched her neck. Then she scratched one of her wrists. Then she moved back to her neck, _scritch-scritch-scritch_ing away.

''What's up?'' Hay Lin asked, giving Will a fishy look. ''Why are you scratching yourself?''

''Because nettle bushes have hateful, irritating leaves!"' Will said with a grimace...and another scratch.

''That's not really an answer, is it?'' Hay Lin replied with a cocked eyebrow and sly grin.

''Well, it's the truth,'' Will responded as her cheeks darkened a shade of cherry blossom pink. She didn't want to give her friends any specific details about her sudden itchiness.

''Okay, whatever,'' Cornelia said, butting in. ''We've got some work to do. I think we should create some astral drops to substitute for us.''

Hay Lin's face fell. ''Is that really necessary?'' She squealed.

''I don't know when we'll be coming back," Cornelia said with a curt nod. ''To tell you the truth, I don't know _if _we'll come...''

''Of course we'll come back, Cornelia,'' Will interrupted her. ''All of us...Naruto too!"' The girl said clutching her hand.

Cornelia turned to gaze at Will. ''If you're so certain of that,'' she said,''...then why don't you put your money where your mouth is? Make an astral drop with the rest of us, so we can be on our way to Metamoor.'' She knew her voice was dripping with challenge. But that was just the way if had to be. If Will was going to fight her at every turn, she'd fight back.

''Be quiet, and I _will _whip up a double!'' Will declared, sticking her chin out. ''But I'm doing it for Naruto. Only for him.''

Taranee was surprised by how determined Will was. She had this strange feeling beating in her chest. Will seemed to really care about this guy. So she should be happy for her friend right? So what was this feeling?

Will clamped her eyes shut and balled her hands into fists. Following her lead, Irma, Taranee, and Hay Lin became still, too. In fact, as they fell into states of deep concentration, they began to...glow! Streams of cool, blue light began to swirl around their bodies. The glow grew so bright and strong it began to stream out of the shell cave's entrance.

Cornelia closed her eyes as well. She imagined her astral drop...her double, her clone separating from her. She envisioned that phantom Cornelia sleeping in her bed, kissing her sister good-night, flirting with boys in the halls of school. She felt a stab of pain at the idea of this specter...an intruder...living her life.

But then, Cornelia thought of Naruto...the guy trapped in Metamoor. How he sacrificed his freedom to help them escape and to help them against their enemy too.

_It's worth it;_ Cornelia thought to herself, _to help this Naruto all, what is friendship, if not giving up a bit of yourself?_

As the thought skimmed through Cornelia's mind, she felt suddenly lighter. She felt empty. She felt...a presence, hovering right in front of her face. So Cornelia opened her eyes. She gave a yelp of surprise. A second Cornelia...three-dimensional and blinking in surprise...stood before her!

Through her lowered eyelids, Will was dimly aware of a bright blue glow. It was swirling and shimmering around her and her fellow Guardians. Abruptly, the light disappeared. Will felt the darkness return, like a light, cool cloak. In fact, she felt light from within, too! She had become somehow airy and ethereal and...

Suddenly, Will's mouth went dry._ I bet I know why I feel so light,_ she thought with a tremble. _I think there's a bit of me that's missing...namely, my astral drop!_

Sure enough, when Will's eyes popped open, she saw a version of herself standing right in front of her! The sight of her double was extremely disconcerting.

_Are my knees really that Knobby? _She thought. _And, Whoa is that what the back of my head looks like?'_

Will tried to shake off her freak-out. _Get a grip_, she told herself. _It's not as if this is the first time you've doubled yourself. We all created astral drops in Metamoor once before, to provide decoys for those Metamoorian henchmen._

But then that had been a crisis situation. The moment the Guardians had spun out their astral drops, they'd sent the Metamoorians running after the doubles. Sure enough, Frost the Hunter had caught their astral drops...giving the real guardians a chance to make a run for it. And they'd all gotten away...except Naruto.

The point was, Will hadn't had but a moment to contemplate was her astral drop. Now, she was staring right at...her? It? What was she, or it, anyway, this other Will?

_'I know one thing that she, or it, is,_' Will though as she watched her double begin exploring the shell cave. _She's a little loopy._

Astral Will was spinning around in giddy circles, staring up at the ceiling with an empty little smile and twirling tendrils of her red hair around her fingertips absentmindedly.

_'Weird,'_ Will thought. _'_Then she shrugged._ 'Well, I guess that's astral-drip behavior, right?' _She mused.

She glanced at the other girls' doubles. She watched them walk like the other four girls. Talk like them and ever their eyes had the same way of glimmering as theirs. Will's shoulders climbed up to her ears nervously. She bit her lip as she watched her friends meet their astral selves.

''You seem to be the perfect copy...''

''Simply amazing,'' The Taranee's said as they adjust their classes.

''Amazing,'' Irma cried, as she stared at Astral Irma. ''You are...me?'' As if she couldn't quite believe it were true, Irma reached out and tweaked Astral Irma's nose. Astral Irma glared at the real Irma irritably and pulled away.

''Hey!'' She sniped. ''Pinch your own nose!''

At that Irma grinned. She turned to her friends and their double and declared, ''I don't know about you, but I think I look pret-ty good!''

''All I know,'' Hay Lin said, staring at her ow astral drop in bewilderment, ''...is that I'm definitely seeing double.''

''It's fantastic,'' Cornelia declared. Her astral drop was looking at her with a typically knowing smirk. ''It's like looking at our reflections in a mirror!"

''Ooh, I hope not,'' Astral Cornelia retorted drily. She pointed at the actual Cornelia. ''I'd likely to think I'm prettier than _that!_'' Cornelia blinked at her double in utter amazement.

''What did you just say?'' She shrieked at herself.

Irma rolled her eyes and smirked at Will.

''Oh, yes,' she said with a glib nod. ''They really are just like us.''

''Uh,'' Will quavered. She watching Astral Will slump onto a boulder at the shell cave's mouth. Her double looked positively lost. ''Maybe not all of them!''

Suddenly, the other girls, even Cornelia and Astral Cornelia...feel silent. They all formed a circle around Astral Will. She responded with a blank, vacant stare.

''Er..._Will,_'' Irma said to Astral Will, with exaggerated slowness. ''Where do you live?''

''I live in...um,'' Astral Will stuttered, ''I live on a street in, um, a...place...''

Will felt her heart sink as Irma threw up her hands. ''She's a blank!'' Irma cried. ''Empty! Zero!''

''I wondered how that happened,'' Hay Lin said to Will. ''Our Astral drops know everything we know...every sensation...ever memory. And yours is just the opposite.''

Will's mouth dropped open in dismay.

Quickly, however, her shock turned to guilt. All at once, Will knew e_xactly _how this had happened. It was all her fault!

She hung her head and stumbled away from her friends. In a small, tremblingly voice, she admitted, ''While I was creating her, in the back of my mind, I was afraid that she would...''

''Take your place indefinitely?'' Cornelia cut in. For the first time since the girls had arrived at the cave, Cornelia's harsh voice softened. Will looked up and caught her friend's gaze. Behind the hardness in Cornelia's eyes Will saw a glimmer of understanding.

Will and Cornelia had definitely had their differences since the memorable debacle in Metamoor, but at this moment, Will felt as though Cornelia was her best friend. Cornelia seemed to understand Will's fear that her astral drop might be just as special as...or perhaps even more special than...Will herself.

Will felt a surge of warmth and gratitude. Of course, a moment later, a glance at Astral Will brought in a quick cold front. Sympathy from Cornelia wasn't going to make Will's problem go away.

And Irma's idea didn't seem feasible, either.

''Hey if it's no good,'' she declared,"...just make another one!"

''No,'' Cornelia said, shaking her head.

''There's no guarantee that this won't happen all over again.''

Will shook her head and sighed. ''Cornelia's right,'' she said to the group.

''This is my problem so I'll fix it. It should be easy enough!"' Will took her backpack off her shoulders and fished out a paper and pencil. She began making a list.

A list of everything...absolutely everything...she did during the day, from brushing her teeth in the morning by her locker after lunch to watching Boy Comet on TV every Tuesday night.

After some careful detailed jotting, Will thought she'd covered it all. She thrust the list into her double's hands. Astral Will read the list, then gave Will a simple smile. Thank god she could read.

''Do you get this?'' Will asked her severely. ''On this paper, I've written everything you should and should not do. You can understand that, can't you, Will?''

Astral Will shrugged in a way that looked…Will had to admit...pretty Will-like. Then she nodded and smiled sweetly.

Will felt her shoulders tense a bit. _'Maybe this will work,' _she thought hopefully. All the astral me has to do is follow these simple instructions and we'll put this off without a hitch. _'She'll be totally me and everything will be fine.'_

Astral Will flashed her maker another wide smile, then folded her list and put it into her jeans pocket.

''Sure, sure, I've got it,'' she declared.

''Thank goodness,'' Will sighed in response.

''I've only got one question,'' Astral Will interjected.

''Uh-Huh?'' Will responded skeptically.

''Hhmm,'' Astral Will wondered with wide eyes. ''Who's this Will?''

''What?'' Will cried. She sat her double down on the ground and crouched before her.

''We need to have a long talk,'' Will said to her double sighing.

Twenty minutes later, Will emerged from the shell cave, just as Hay Lin was waving goodbye to Astral Hay Lin. The double gave Hay Lin a wink, and then scampered over the boulders towards Heatherfield with a quick, light, and very familiar gait.

Will heaved an envious sigh. Adding insult to injury was the fact that Cornelia immediately began chatting with Hay Lin about the very successful astral drops. ''So, yours has hit the road, too, huh?'' Cornelia said. ''I said good-bye to my drop a few minutes ago. I think she'll do fine.''

''Yeah!'' Hay Lin marveled. ''I've questioned her about all my habits, and it looks like she knows everything! She'll go home, lie down in my bed, and probably even have my dreams.''

''While we on the other hand,'' Cornelia scowled,''...head straight into a nightmare!''

Will sighed. Cornelia was right. As their journey to Metamoor grew ever closer, her hands were feeling more trembling and her stomach was quaking.

'It doesn't help,' Will thought irritably, _"that my astral drop is...''_

''Ready,'' Said a very familiar voice behind Will. ''I think I'm ready!''

Will turned around to glower at Astral Will as she emerged from the shell cave. She was scanning Will's list attentively.

''Okay,'' Astral Will said. ''At seven A.M. wake up. Seven-fifteen...shower. At ten to eight, kiss Mom good morning. Then breakfast, then...''

''Okay, okay, I think you've got it,'' Will said sternly. ''Listen, if you just follow the instructions, you can't go wrong. And remember...''

''I know, I know,'' Astral Will interrupted impatiently. She was slinging her leg over Will's red bike. ''I'll study what I'm not supposed to. You've written those things in bold and underlined each one three times!''

Before Will could say anything else, Astral Will gave her a cavalier wave and began to _pedal_ away. Will watched her double go, and then hung her head in worry.

''Oh man,'' she sighed. ''I hope she finds her way home, at least.''

She felt Irma's sympathetic hand on her shoulder.

''She'll be fine,'' Irma assured her. ''It's us I'm worried about. We'd better hurry. It's us I'm worried about. We'd better hurry. It's time to head to Metamoor!"

With her fellow Guardians, Hay Lin watched Astral Will pedal up the hill and away. Then she turned to walk with them back into the looming shell cave. She gazed up at the scallop-shaped mouth of the cave and was transported...just for an instant...back in time. She and Irma were little kids again, playing Hide-and-seek.

Then she, Irma, and Elyon were in the shell cave, giggling and toasting marshmallows over a campfire.

Next, it was summertime. Hay Lin had been body surfing all afternoon, and she'd sought shelter again in the cave, laying her sunburned self-down on its cool, dark, sandy floor. The place had always been a haven.

Now it was a gateway to the unknown.

Hay Lin sighed. ''I've come to this cave thousands of times,'' she told the others. ''I would never had expected it to be the site of a portal!'' As the girls plunged deeper into the cavern, darkness surrounding them.

''Hay Lin and I brought equipment,'' Irma said, pulling a flashlight out of her bag and clicking it own.

The bright beam of light skimmed over a chaos of painted scrawls and etchings...words, initials, hearts, pictures...all mementos of people's time in the cave. ''There's so much graffiti on the walls!'' Will gasped. ''I didn't notice it before.''

''Yup,'' Irma mused. She paused before a couple of inked phrases.

'The first said I love Anne. S.R.' the next read 'Anne+Billy. Sorry, S.R.

''It's cutthroat,'' Irma said with a giggle. ''He goes out with her one summer. And the same summer, she's dating someone else. Cruet! Every carving is a love story.'' They're little bits of history!"'

Cornelia scowled. ''No they're not Irma,'' she scoffed. ''They're acts of vandalism!''

Cornelia skimmed her tapered fingers over the cave wall and squinted at the graffiti angrily.

''Now that I have the power of the earth,'' she said,''I realize more and more that people don't respect it!''

'She's got a point,' Hay Lin thought, with a nod. But she didn't have time to voice her opinion. Suddenly, on a section of almost-bare wall up ahead, she saw something.

Something that made her blood run cold.

Hay Lin made herself run to the wall.

''Look here!'' She cried to her friends. They hurried after her. Breathing hard, Hay Lin slapped a hand onto the wall, right next to a picture. Unlike the other scrawls, this image was composed of blue paint. It was a cluster of five swirly flames.

''Blue fire, five flames,'' Will said dully. ''So? What's the big deal?''

''It's the same one that Irma doodled in class this morning,''Hay Lin cried. ''In her diary!"'

Irma gazed at the blue flames. Her eyes widened in disbelief. This was unbelievable.

''That's impossible,'' she croaked.''I haven't been here for a year...at least.''

She put a hand on her furrowed forehead. ''I was lost in thought when I drew that,'' Irma added.

Will suddenly let out a muffled moan, and her knees buckled. She felt woozy. She felt woozy She fell backward and would have hit the hard, cave floor if Taranee hadn't caught her.

''Will!" Irma screamed, jolting herself out of her reverie.

Hay Lin knelt down next to Will and held her breath. Will's head lolled for a moment. But only a few seconds later, her big, brown eyes fluttered open, and she managed to give her friends a weak smile.

''Everything's okay, you guys,'' she rasped. ''It's just the usual dizzy spell.'

''The dizzy spell you have whenever you're near a portal,'' Hay Lin pointed out.

Ever since the girls had discovered their extraordinary powers, Will had been having those spells. Her head would fall forward onto her chest, and her face would become paper white. She'd groan, and a cold sweat would break out on her forehead. The closeness of Metamoor made her ill. The one good thing about the attacks was that they also let the Guardians know when they'd hit their mark.

''Maybe this means the portal is here,'' Hay Lin said, staring in awe at the blue flames scrawled on the stone wall.

Will lurched to her feet and stood next to the bit of graffiti. She beckoned to her fellow Guardians. The girls joined hand and formed a semicircle around the flames. Will shook away the last of her dizziness and gave each girl a serious look. When Will's eyes met Hay Lin's, Hay Lin tried to smile. She tried to draw on the strength and determination she saw in Will's eyes. This was no time to back down. She had to be brave.

''Let's try to open the portal,'' Will said somberly. 'Stay strong. ''I'm going to touch the drawing...''

Looking around, Hay Lin observed each girl's was determined, albeit a bit nervous. Irma's eyes were open and curious. Cornelia's face remained unreadable. And Will looked terrified. Hay Lin could only imagine what 'she' looked like. She watched, with wide, fearful eyes, as Will's fingertips stretched toward the blue flames, reaching out for the next chapter in the Guardians' overwhelming destiny.

_'Here we go again,' _Hay Lin thought. it was another moment of truth. _Once more, we are going to step through a doorway that seems to go nowhere. We are going to risk our lives because are the guardians. And what's on the other side? Who knows? But something will be there...waiting.'_


	8. Dark World Metamoor

The Guardian's Kitsune

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Naruto x ?

0

''Normal Speech''

_Inner Thoughts, Dialogue, or reading passages from books and scrolls_

**(Dark over lapping echoes)**

**''Boss Summons, Demons, Dark beings speaking, Demonic/Angry characters Speaking as well as extremely Dark spells and Magic.''**

0

Story Start

0

As Will clasped Cornelia's hand and got ready to touch the five blue flames painted on the cave wall, she felt a wave of uncertainty surge through her chest. She didn't want to admit it, but she was scared.

She glanced around the circle at her friends. On their pale faces, she could see the same fear that same feeling.

But she also saw Cornelia's set jaw.

And Taranee's neutral look.

And Irma's stubbornly pouty lips.

And Hay Lin's fiery eyes.

They were _all _scared. But they were also determined! '_We're together!" _Will reminded herself as her fingers intertwined with Cornelia's. That gave her strength finally to touch her hand to the scroll-like picture on the cave wall. She pressed her palm against the rock and closed her eyes.

Then she waited for the Heart of Kandrakar that was within her to work its magic. She expected to feel a bubble of energy well up inside her. Maybe a swirl of pink magic would envelop the quintet. Or perhaps the portal would burst open, flickering with blue flames. Maybe the tunnel would even undulate, just like the one that had opened in Mrs. Rudolph's attic.

Whatever happened, Will knew it would be dramatic. She braced herself and waited. And waited. But nothing happened. No happened. No pink swirls. No big, bad shafts of light. Nothing.

Finally, Will opened one eye a crack and glanced around. Her hand was still placed over the blue drawing. She and her four friends were still standing, shivering slightly, in a cold, seaside cave. Each one of them had cautiously opened one of her eyes.

Finally, Will sighed in frustration and dropped Cornelia's hand.

''Nothing happened!"' She cried.

'Oh, sure it did,' Cornelia cracked. ''Magic kept us here among all this amazing artwork.''

When Cornelia tossed out the careless barb, Will felt her shoulders sag.

_'First, I create a clueless astral drop, she thought. Then, I can't even open a portal._

_Excuse me,' _Will thought, glancing at the ceiling and toward the place where she imagined the Oracle of Kandrakar lived. _Please remind me again why I'm the leader of this crew? Especially when I can't seem to do anything right?_

Will must have been wearing her sadness on her slave, because Irma spoke up cheerfully.

''Don't worry,Will,'' She said. ''I get faint sometimes, too usually when it's been a long time since dinner.''

Cornelia hugged and turned her back. ''At this rate we won't make it in time to save...'' She stopped herself. Chiding herself for such a thought. Will was already feeling kind of low. She didn't need more pressure to be added.

Will felt as if someone had kicked her in the stomach. She hadn't even thought of the possibility. The Metamoorians seemed intent on catching the guardians. There was no guarantee that even Naruto was alive. Sure Kuiinshi said he was tough, but why hadn't he tried to contact her? Let her know he was okay? What if he couldn't contact her? What if he was hurt or worse?

Feeling short of breath, she whispered, 'Why don't you say it? That there's no guarantee he's alive; isn't that what you were about to say?''' As she rasped out the words, Will felt dread. Her voice grew shrill, and, before she knew it, she'd stomped over to Cornelia and leaned into her pretty, sullen face.

''Why should you care right? It's not like he's your old friend. One of the only people of your old life who thought you were then trash.''

Will's outburst seemed to crack Cornelia's icy veneer. She actually seemed startled and...perhaps...even remorseful? Her voice was less edgy as she replied, ''I'm sorry Will. I didn't even know why I said that. I want to save the guy too.''

''Not as much as me!'' Will almost screamed. She felt her lip tremble and her eyes well up with tears.

''When I needed a shoulder to cry on and couldn't go to my mom he was there. He always made me smile no matter how gloomy I feel. Every hour! Every minute! I hear feel as if I could hear his _voice_.'' Will flung her backpack to the ground and fell to her knees, burying her face in her hands. Her body was shaking with sobs now.

''Will...it's ok!'' Taranee tried to comfort. Wiping the tears from the bob-cut haired girl's eyes with her thumb.

Will continued to sniffle loudly, and her chest heaved with sobs. She didn't know if she'd ever be able to stop crying! She really was a terrible leader!

But suddenly, something broke though Will's grief. It was the light, cool touch of a hand on her shoulder. It was Cornelia's! In a tender and comforting voice, Cornelia whispered,''Will I'm sor...''

''Shhhhh!'' That was Irma. And her voice sounded urgent.

''Listen!'' She hissed.

A feeling of fear made Will catch her breath. With one last hiccup, her sobs subsided. She peered into the cave. Irma's head was cocked intently.

''What?'' Hay Lin whispered. ''I don't hear anything.''

''That's my point,'' Irma squeaked. ''Where's the noise of the waves? The roar of the ocean?''

Suddenly, Irma spun around.

''And that's not all,'' she exclaimed, pointing at the ceiling. ''Look, there's a weird, glowing light in here all of a sudden.''

Irma turned off her flashlight to prove her point. Will gasped, Irma was right. The cave, which should have been pitch-black without the flashlight beam, was filled with a wavy, blue light.

''And the cave walls have become all smooth and glassy,'' Irma added. ''Like the inside of a real shell!''

No sooner had Irma said the word ''shell'' than Will heard an echoey, distant roar. It sounded just like the inside of a shell when she cupped it around her ear to hear the ocean!

''What is that?'' Will asked anxiously, glancing over her shoulder.

Then she screamed.

The ocean sound in a seashell was usually just an illusion. But what she saw real...a giant gush or rolling water, crashing through the cave and heading straight for the Guardians. It was going to engulf them!

''Water!"' Hay Lin screamed. ''Lots and lots of water!''

Cornelia threw herself against Irma as the water began to swirl around the girls' feet.

''Irma!'' She cried. ''Do something!"

Acting seemingly on instinct, Irma thrust out her arms besides her. In a steely voice, she announced, ''I'll create a bubble of air!"

Will felt the water rise around them. She sucked in desperate gulp of air and held her breath. Then she squeezed her eyes shut and grabbed onto Cornelia and Hay Lin for some much-needed support.

She gasped as the cold water swirled around her legs. It quickly rose to her waist. Then her chest. Then her head!

''Aaaaaaaaagh!'' Will screamed. She Gasped and screamed again. Before she could scream a third time, she realized something. She just breathed she thought incredulously. She gasped and didn't suck in a lungful of water.

Will's eyes flew open. Irma had done exactly what she'd said she would! She'd created a giant, bobbly air bubble around the five of them. Now, they were bouncing along peacefully in water that surrounded them on all sides.

Will heaved a sigh of relief and flashed Irma a triumphant thumbs-up. But she didn't have time to savor their survival. They had to figure out what to do next! And where they were headed.

Will spun around and pressed her hands to the balloon-like wall of the air bubble. She peered around, but all she could see was the walls of the cave. They were still smooth and glassy. The walls had also elongated into a long tunnel...a tunnel that was transporting their air bubble at a rapid pace.

''That was no tidal wave,'' Will declared. ''This is a portal. We're crossing over into Metamoor!"

Hay Lin pulled her backpack off her shoulders and began yanking heavy, shapeless cloaks out of it. They were made of nubby, brown fabric. ''Quick! Put these on,'' she ordered the girls tossing each one a garment.

''What kind of fashion faux pas are these?'' Cornelia asked, regarding her cloak with a curled lip.

''Hey, don't dis the designer,'' Irma said, squirming into her own cloak. Its floppy hood completely covered her honey-colored hair.

''Don't worry about it,'' Hay Lin said. ''They _are _pretty ugly. Like monks' robes. They're in the same things I remember seeing the people in Meridian wear.''

''Brilliant!"' Will cried, pulling her own cloak around her shoulders. "This way, we can be less suspicious.''

''That's what I was hoping,'' Hay Lin said. ''Of course, we don't even know if we're in the right place."

''We'll find out soon enough,'' Cornelia pointed out, pressing her hands to the wall of the air bubble. ''There's a light up ahead. We're heading out of this tunnel!"

Will clutched at Cornelia's robe. Hay Lin and Irma threw their arms around each other. As the bubble plunged through the mouth of the tunnel, they looked around. And then together, they all began to quake!

''If this is what's outside,'' Hay Lin cried, ''I want to go back inside! Now!"

''We're...we're...specks!"' Irma cried. ''We're floating around in nothingness!'' Will nodded in agreement. A nod was all she could muster. There was no way she could talk. She was petrified. Where were they? She peeked over her shoulder at the giant cave from which the girls had emerged.

It 'was' a seashell!

_'That's impossible!"_ Will thought. There's no seashell on earth big enough to dwarf five girls like us.

Will turned back to her friends to see what they thought. Their faces told her that they were occupied with other worries...namely, the giant, glassy orb looming right in front of their air bubble!

In the center of the orb was an inky dot, as looming and menacing as a black hole. Around the dot was a shimmery circle of green. And around that was a sea of white, threaded with craggy, red seams. A glassy, blue shade of some sort closed over the orb. Just as quickly, the shade lifted. Then it lowered and lifted again.

Almost like a blinking eyelid, Will thought.

A blinking eyelid?

Suddenly, Hay Lin squealed and fell backward, landing on the floor of the bubble with a plop. Cornelia hunched down over her knees in fear. And Will grabbed Irma and Taranee's elbows, clutching her friends' arms with the strength born of terror. They were trapped in a bubble with no way to escape. Nothing they had encountered before she could have prepared Will for what she was now looking at. This was unbelievable...and terrifying.

''Irma?'' She squeaked. ''That nothingness you mentioned? Well, it's looking right as us!''

Will, Cornelia, Taranee, and Hay Lin were silent for a moment before they clung to each other and shrieked in horror.

But Irma couldn't must up the breath to scream. She was too busy. One part of her mind was focused on being terrified but another part of her, the part that was a magical Guardian, had to concentrate on keeping herself and her friends alive. Without Irma's air bubble, they were sunk...literally.

So, even as Irma gaped at the giant eyeball...which was scrutinizing the girls between slow, lazy blinks...she had to keep blue magic pulsing from her palms, breathing life into their air bubble and keeping the water at bay.

Speaking of water, Irma thought, what kind of odd ocean were they floating around in anyway? _'Time to scope out the situation!'_

Luckily, the giant eyeball chose that very moment to rise up, up, up, and away from the Guardians. As Irma craned her neck to peer at the retreating orb, she gasped.

She was staring straight as a lumpish, blue Metamoorian creature...another one of the ogres that had been terrorizing the guardians ever since they had first acquired their powers. And just like the other big, blue creature in their lives, this creature was unspeakably ugly. His big, potatoey head was flanked by pointy, fuzzy ears and gray, rock like lumps. His neck was nonexistent. His hands, which were clutching a tall glass of water, were awkward, pudgy, and tipped with dirty claws.

The only different between this blue guy and the other blue guy? The first villain...Vathek, as Irma had heard him called the last time they had been in Metamoor...was only about the twice of size of the girls. This ogre was at least _one hundred _times as big as they were.

He was peering down at the girls with a devilish grin. And that's when Irma noticed something else.

He was dry.

Whereas, they were all wet! Irma thought. _'We're inside some container of water in this giant's house. Now I know how Jack the Giant-Killer felt!''_

Suddenly, the blue creatured opened his mouth to say something. Irma couldn't have been more shock at this first utterance.

''**Mommy!"'** He cried. The creature's voice was thick and phlegmy, but also high-pitched.

''He's just a kid!'' Will hissed in Irma's ear.

**''Come and see Mommy!'' **The kid cried again. As he slammed his giant water glass down near the girls' container. Irma began to wrap her brain around this new reality. They were this giant, blue kid's new pets!''

**''I'm cooking dinner Fargart,'' **a deep, numbly voice called from the distance somewhere. ''I can't come and see.''

The blue kid...Fargart...trotted away. So Irma and her friends had a chance to look around.

The room looked like the interior of a medieval castle: looming Gothic furniture, tapestries, and Tudor-style windowpanes. The walls were made of stone blocks, and the light was dim.

_'Yup.' _Irma thought with a nod. '_We're in Metamoor, all right.' _The last time the girls had landed in the gloomy world, the architecture had all looked like this...cold, foreboding, and ancient.

While the child whined in response to his mother's lecture about the shell being empty and picking up things. They put together that they were miniature sized. Narrowly escaping the aquatic green beast with eight legs and puckering mouth when their magic kicked in and restored them to the right size they continued the rescue mission.

The Guardians found themselves standing on crowded, cobble-stoned street lined with gray, stone buildings. The air was hazy with soot and dirt. And it didn't smell so great, either.

Apprehensively, the girls tiptoed down the empty street. Irma found herself pulling her cloak more tightly around her and shivering.

''Naruto must be here somewhere,'' Will said, as the girls rounded a corner.

''And so are a bunch of monsters,'' Irma said in a quivering voice. ''Remember what it was like here before? Lizardy creatures and big, lumpy, blue guys, and scaly, dreadlocky Mrs. Rudolph types?''

She looked to her friends. Will and Cornelia gave her trembly nods. But Hay Lin only smiled peacefully. As she walked...make that glided...down the bumpy street, the smallest Guardian closed her eyes and cocked her head, yet she never stumbled or tripped.

''Hay Lin?'' Cornelia blurted. ''What's with you?''

''Nothing,'' Hay Lin replied without opening her eyes. ''The air of Metamoor's streets is talking to me! I smell its perfumes. I hear the sound of its voices. I think these monsters are not so different from us after all!''

Irma looked at Hay Lin's face. Her bud seemed so serene...happy, even! As the five girls walked into a courtyard milling with Metamoorians, Irma willed herself to follow her friend's example...to restrain herself from shuddering in disgust. And that was when she really saw what Hay Lin was talking about. Though this Metamoorian city's dweller looked about as different from the Guardians as they possibly could, their activities were familiar. Green, scaly youths were chasing a ball around the cobble-stoned street. A tall lizard in brown cloak was buying some blue vegetables from a street cart. A couple of plump, flat-snouted creatures were giggling and clutching schoolbooks.

_'Those girls might be our age!" _Irma marveled. _'They really are just like us, dashing home for an after-school snack and gossiping about cute boys.'_

Suddenly, Irma was looking at the bustling city with a gleam in her eye. Hay Lin practically spoke her thoughts.

''The last time we were here'' Hay Lin declared, "I felt like an outsider. But today, it frightens me less!"'

Irma keep looking around. When her eye fell upon a little store tucked between a grisly butcher's shop and a parchment-filled newsstand, she grinned.

''I've got an idea,'' she said. ''As long as we're feeling brave, why not start unraveling Metamoor's mysteries? How about right there!"

She pointed at a store filled with all sorts of mysterious wares. In the window, Irma saw parchment scrolls and telescope like instruments. She saw orbs that looked like crystal balls and mortars and pestles just made for a witch's workshop. She saw...adventure.

''Umm, I don't know,'' Will shakily responded.

''We've got to fly below the radar here.''

''Come on, Will! Look at that dusty old shop,'' Irma said. ''Do you think anyone goes in there? I just want to take a quick peek around. Five minutes. You won't be sorry!'' Then she trotted across the street toward the shop.

Irma stuck to her promise, and, a few minutes later, the girls were walking through Metamoor's streets once again. They'd pulled their faces deep within their cloaks' shadow hoods. Irma no longer felt chilled and shivery. Their browse through the bizarre shop had whipped her into an excited sweat. Or maybe she was just feeling the heat of Will's glare. Her stare was harsh!"

''I'm so mad at you, Irma!'' Will suddenly cried out.

''Why?'' Irma demanded in surprise.

''You shouldn't have talked to that shopkeeper,'' Will said. ''Do you want Phobos and his followers to find out about us?''

''Please,'' Irma said, waggling the bell shaped cuff of the sleeve of her heavy cloak.

''In clothes like these, even Mrs. Knickerbocker wouldn't recognize us.''_ And our eagle eye principal sees everything._

''Anyway,'' she continued out loud. ''It was worth it. I traded him my watch for...this!''

With a dramatic flourish, Irma pulled her prize out from under her cloak and showed it to her friends. The blue ball cradled in her palm pulsed with glowing energy.

''Wow, a sphere,'' Cornelia said dryly. ''Do you quick it or eat it?''

''Wait a minute,'' Hay Lin said excitedly.

She grabbed Irma's wrist and leaned over to take a closer look at the orb.

''Hey...that's a three-dimensional map of Metamoor!'' She cried. ''Wow! If you squint at it, you can even see people in miniature.''

''Uh-huh,'' Irma bragged. ''I've got the whole world in my hands, you could say. And look at this.''

Irma turned the sphere around in her hands until she found a starfish-shaped building.

''See?'' She said, pointing to the little star. ''The shopkeeper told me that that's the castle of Phobos.''

''Do you think Naruto is locked up inside there?'' Hay Lin cried.

''I don't know,'' Will said, gently lifting the map from Irma's hand and peering at it with determination. 'I guess it's possible. And if that is where he is, we've got a lot of ground to cover.

Will looked at Irma seriously; Irma saw fire in their leader's brown eyes.

''We will find Naruto,'' Will declared. ''Even if we have to walk all over this entire planet!''


	9. Those Who Abandon Their Friends

The Guardian's Kitsune

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NarutoxHarem

0

''Normal Speech''

_Inner Thoughts, Dialogue, or reading passages from books and scrolls_

(Quick Notes and Messages or Echoes…Songs you go to Youtube and play. )

**(Dark over lapping echoes)**

**''Boss Summons, Demons, Dark beings speaking, Demonic/Angry characters Speaking as well as extremely Dark spells and Magic.''**

0

Story Start

0

The oracle floated...for the Oracle never needed to walk to transport himself...into the circle of Knowing. This was his private observatory...a perfectly round, ornately decorated room deep within the Temple of Kandrakar.

Enormous as a country, but hidden away in the clouds of infinity, Kandarakar was, put quite simply, the place where good resided.

Its master was the Oracle, ancient but unbent and unlined. He saw all and knew all (supposedly)...all of the world's injustices and all its pain. Yet he still had faith that earth and its goodness would survive the war with Metamoor.

The Oracle had created the Veil that separated those worlds. He had also anointed the five young guardians that now protected the Veil. As he'd watched, they had begun to come into their own. They no longer feared their magic.

In fact, as the Oracle saw in his mind, they'd begun to use it in most creative ways. If only unwittingly, they'd even abused their powers. This by itself was not enough to furrow the Oracle's smooth forehead. But the brow of his adviser, Tibor, was another entirely. It had more than enough lines to make up for the ones the Oracle lacked.

As the Oracle projected his mind's images into different sectors of the Circle of Knowing, Tibor leaned over to view the scenes. In a brilliant shaft of green light, the petulant Guardian with the yellow hair was huddled at her desk over her homework.

The tiny girl, the one they called Hay Lin, was folding laundry for her mother of the silver beam of light. The keeper of the Heart was getting into bed, a stuffed frog at her elbow.

All looked normal. But the Oracle knew that to be an Illusion. Tibor, who'd been his adviser and his constant companion for centuries, sense his lord's unease.

''Talk with me, Oracle,'' he said calmly, through his long, white beard.

''Good, Tibor,'' the Oracle said quietly, glancing up from the Guardians for a moment to give the old man a small smile.

''You are aware of my gloomy thoughts. As you can see, the chosen ones have broken the laws of Kandrakar.''

''I don't understand,'' Tibor said, scowling at the images. ''They are simply living their lives.''

''Those are not really the Guardians,'' the Oracle said. ''What you see are magical creations. They call them astral drops.''

Tibor shook his shaggy head in disbelief.

''They are perfect copies,'' he marveled.

''The Guardians have become skillful with their magical powers.''

''Don't praise them,'' the Oracle admonished. He floated a hand over the image of Will, making it large and three-dimensional. She was lying back in her bed, snuggling into her pillow. Her eyes closed, a contented smile settled onto her face.

''It is their job to close the portals,'' the Oracle pointed out. ''Not cross through them. And that is what they have done...twice now!''

''Must you punish them?'' Tibor asked.

''I have to make up my mind,'' the Oracle said. He closed his eyes and clasped his hands together in front of him. Despite the immortality of his body, his shoulders felt heavy. The decision would require much meditation.

''They are traveling through the land of Prince Phobos,'' the Oracle declared somberly.

''They are risking everything!'' Tibor cried. ''For what?''

The Oracle opened his eyes. Sadly, he waved his hand over Will's image a gain. It shimmered away. In its place appeared that of a blue-eyes girl. Though she was human, she wore the long robes of Phobos...a circled edged in spikes.

Her name was Elyon.

_"If only that young girl knew the truth," _the Oracle thought. But truth had nothing to do with what Elyon was discussing right then.

''You ask me why they take such risks, Tibor,'' the Oracle said. He gestured at the fluttery image of Elyion. '_'She _will tell you.''

Lo and behold, Elyon spoke. ''Friendship!'' she declared. She seemed to be answering Tibor's query. But in fact she was addressing her prisoner...Naruto!

The spiky blond hair teen was imprisoned in a bubble that floated in the center of an endless stone turret.

''What does that mean to you?'' Elyon challenged her prisoner.

"It means to me Faith and belief but most importantlyLoyalty; something which you seem to lack.''

Ignoring the taunt, ''They left you behind and don't even seem to care.'' She said showing images of the astral drops. Doing homework, sleeping, talking with their parents. Things a normal teenager would do.

''Your petty tricks will never bend my spirit. You...how can you be manipulated so easily? Years of friendship thrown away because some guy out of nowhere shows up and tells you that your longtime friend and her friends are the enemy? We're you feeling left out? Is that it?'' Naruto could see by the restrained annoyance in her eyes he was getting to her. ''I'm curious as to why you find it prudent to associate with me? What is it about me you find so curious?''

''I'm wondering the same thing,'' said a silky voice behind Elyon.

''Cedric,'' Elyon gasped, spinning around.

The Oracle wasn't sure what to make of the blond. His knowledge incomplete and any prying was met with resistance from an outside force. It was obvious he and someone else had crossover from a parallel dimension?

_'For what purpose?'_ Was the question echoing in his head. Not to mention the fact that he could not locate a single hint of this other person's existence meant the power and mind of this being matched his very own or possibly exceeded it. There was nothing he could for the moment, but try and find out if this force was a threat and how to neutralize it.

Cedric glared down his aristocratic nose at little Elyon. He towered over her in his imposing cloak with its dagger-like epaulets. But his face was narrow and sharp-edged. His blue eyes sparked icily.

Elyon gazed up at the man with an expression of slightly wary adoration. Her smug smile disappeared.

As he led Elyon aware from the chasm, out of earshot of Naruto, or so he believed, Cedric said, ''Explain if you will, Elyon."

''During the guardian's flee forming our previous encounter I noticed the keeper of the heart was reluctant to leave him behind. We can use him to get to her. Without the heart the Guardians are neutralized right?''

Cedric flicked a hank of his long, blond hair over his shoulder.

''Do as you like,'' he allowed. ''But keep an eye on the boy. Remain cautious. He is an unknown.''

As Cedric swept away down the hall, Elyon stood where she was, kneading her hands in anxiety. She decided to return to her prisoner and try to break her spirit.

''Return to mock the unknown huh?'' Naruto said in an eerie cheerful tone as he cocked his head.

Elyon furrowed her brow with a heating look. ''How much did you…?''

"Hear?" He impishly teased as he brought his face to the cage. "E-ve-ry-th-ing." He enunciated. "From what I heard you are a nice person Elyon. We don't have to be enemies. I'm sure your friends will still be willing to forgive you. I highly doubt they would have given up so easily."

''Oh,'' Elyon said casually. ''Let's see what they're doing then."

Elyon waved her hand and, again, a bobbling mass of water appeared in the turret. This time, in roiled beneath Naruto's bubble. The Shinobi peered down into it as an image began to form.

_''Will...''_ He thought as a picture of a sleeping vision of Will solidified.

''Look how worried your friend is about your disappearance,'' Elyon said sarcastically. ''Look how she's crying...not even thinking of you...''

Naruto casually shrugged in response to her comment. With that he wistfully responded, ''Maybe she's dreaming of a way to save me. You, a girl who has never seen bloodshed won't break me." '

Elyon, with her birdlike bones and wispy, sandy blonde hair was more determined then it looked. This means of trying to break Naruto's spirit for at least five hours. Another image, _astral _Will's progress that day was being shown. It looked like an ordinary morning. Will arose from a warm bed, pulled on a pretty, pink shirt, and greeted a boy carrying a furry pet at the front door.

With the appearance of the boy, Elyon had fallen silent. The Oracle swooped into her thoughts.

_'What's Matt doing at Will's house? Why does the lead singer of Cobalt Blue care about a little dormouse? And Will's a Sheffield newbie, to boot!' _She sighed. _''...He's just as cute as he was the day I left Heatherfield...days...weeks ago? I don't even know anymore..._

Elyon shook her head, as if it too clear it of fog. With a breezy nonchalance, Will planting a kiss on Matt's Lips! Next she slammed the door in his stunned face.

Naruto's face remained impassive but there was a slight twinge in his eyes. He would not betray his emotions; the most obvious answer was that the image was of a fake Will. She wouldn't toss what they had for some boy. Then if it was just a copy why did it kiss that boy? He turned to his _captor _and noticed she was disturbed by the sight as well.

''You looked like you just got stabbed in the back. Funny seeing as you did the stabbing first so does this mean you were stabbed in the front?'' he taunted her, successfully gaining a reaction out of her.

''Mind our own business,'' Elyon snapped, turning sideways so Naruto wouldn't see her pale cheeks and trembling lower lip. ''You just do your own thinking! You'll have plenty of time to do it, in your bubble!''

''Those who betray their friends don't have the right to be upset. I was once told those who don't follow the rules are trash, but does who abandon their comrades are worse than trash. And you girl are worse than trash. How does it feel to know that life goes on and if you continue these choices then you'll be an outsider to both sides? _Hurts!_ Doesn't it?''

''Shut up!'' Elyon screamed. ''No more!'' She spun around and disappeared, stomping down the hallway in anger.

Though any triumph Naruto would have felt was halted. ''For her to be that upset meant that image was real. Damnit!''

As the teen cursed, the Oracle transported his mind to Elyon, who was now stomping down a stone staircase. Cedric had appeared next to her again. His handsome countenance had disappeared, and he had taken on his snake form to hide his identity from the guardians. His green chin jutted over his broad chest. Behind a pulsing, red mask, his eyes were hardened like little pebbles. The snake-man gave the girl a mischievous look.

''So...Will has snatched a kiss,'' Cedric said to Elyon. ''The kiss you always dreamed about. Are you envious?''

Yes, Yes, Yes, the Oracle heard. Elyon screamed inside her head. _My heart is breaking into a million little pieces. _But what she said, wanly and without much feeling was,''N...no, not envious. I'm faithful to you, Cedric!''

''Good!"' Cedric declared smugly. He knew Elyon was lying to him. He expected it. Cedric, the Oracle knew, trusted no one.

''To reward you for your loyalty,'' Cedric declared to Elyon,''I'll let you know that she was not your real rival. The actual will is here in Metamoor!''

Back on Earth the sound of an alarm clock was blaring rather loudly.

Beep! Beep! Beeeeeep!

Astral Will's hand disentangled itself from the blanket and groped for the source of the extremely annoying sound.

_'Aargh!'_ She thought. _This Will's bedroom is not only very messy, it's noisy. I don't understand this incessant beeping! Let's consult my little paper. Now, where did I put it?_

Groggily, Astral Will...who had begun to think of herself as A.W...Sat up in bed. She looked around the room. There were stuffed frogs everywhere! Sunlight streamed into the room through tall windows flanked by pink curtains.

''Where is that list?'' She whispered.

A.W. felt the beep pounding at the back of her head. So she turned around and found herself staring at yet another frog. This one had a clock in its belly. Squeezing her fingers into a fist, she thump the frog on its head.

The beeping stopped!

Sighing with relief, A.W. slumped back onto her pillow. Then she glanced at the nightstand next to her bed.

_'Oh Yeah,' _she thought. _There's the list Will made me. I was going to look at it, wasn't I? Let's see..._

A.W. was just snuggling back under the covers when her eyes skimmed over the frog clock. Its small hand was on the seven, and its long hand was on the twelve.

_'Seven o'clock,_ A.W. thought dully as she flop her pillow over her head.

A.W. shot upright once again and gasped, ''The list said that at seven o'clock, the real Will gets up and foes to the bathroom to brush her teeth.'' A.W. slumped to the bedroom door, rolling up the sleeves of her baggy, blue pajamas.

_Wonder where the bathroom is_, she thought as she walked into the hall. She padded down the corridor, passing a kitchen. Once again, A.W. got distracted. First, she spied on a table set with fresh-smelling bread, a crusty croissant, and a jar of chocolate spread. Then she noticed a slender a woman in a pink bathrobe, slumped against the refrigerator. The woman unleashed a tremendous sneeze, and then began talking into a phone with no cord.

''Yes, Amanda,'' she said in a very stuffy-sounding voice. ''I've got a bad cold, so I'm going to stay home today. Could you cancel all my appointments?''

A.W. stared at the pretty woman for a moment. She felt some stir of familiarity in her gut, but maybe that was the toast smell, making her hungry.

''Uh-huh, yes,'' the lady continued. ''Tell Spencer to check the printouts and...'' Suddenly, the woman's big, brown eyes fell upon A.W. she gasped at her. ''Will, why are you still in your pajamas?'' She demanded.

''Uh, are you my mother?'' A.W. responded.

Susan rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the phone.

''No, Amanda, I wasn't saying that to you,'' she said. ''That was my daughter, who apparently has amnesia. Uh-huh. I know...teenagers. So moody.''

_'Uh,'_ A.W. thought with a twinge, _better keep moving. At least I know that she's Will's mother. I'm supposed to call her Mom. Now what was I doing? Oh, yes...the bathroom._

After scrubbing at her teeth and running a comb through her red hair, A.W. went back to Will's bedroom.

_'Now what?_' She thought wearily. '_Time to look at my directions.'_' A.W. scanned the room.

'_Where was that paper? _'

She walked over to the bed and peeked under the pillow. Then she pulled back the blankets. Then she looked under the bed. Then she searched under the desk, inside the closet, and in the toes of her bedroom slippers!

''I've lost it!'' A.W. whispered in horror. She collapsed onto the bed and put a trembling finger to her chin. This was not good. _'Okay,' s_he told herself. _'Just try to remember what it said. At seven, wake up. Quarter past seven, brush my teeth and wash up. . At seven-thirty, get dressed. At ten to eight, kiss...kiss...Who am I supposed to kiss?_

As she racked her brain, A.W. pulled a silky camisole out of a drawer and slipped it over her head. Then she shimmied into a pink shirt she found hanging in the closet. She was just fiddling with the pesky buttons when another noise filled the loft.

Dingdong.

That chime was much less irritating that the beeping, but still, it seemed to annoy the lady in the kitchen.

''Will,'' the lady called out.

_'Not the lady,'_ A.W. reminded herself. 'Mom.'

''Yes, Mom!'' A.W. answered.

''Please answer the door,'' Susan yelled from the kitchen.

''Yes, yes,'' A.W. said. She padded back out of her bedroom. As she struggled with the buttons on her shirt, she noticed her bare legs.

_'My legs sure are skinny_,' she thought._ And_ _brr_, _they're cold. Maybe I should have put on some pants before answering the door. Oh, well. Now how do you get these buttons closed?_

A.W. reached the front door and pulled it open. Standing in front of her was a boy who was holding a scampery little dormouse. The boy had shaggy, brown hair and big, brown eyes and just the right amount of scruff on his chin.

''Uh...'' the boy stammered,''Will?''

''More or less,'' A.W. declared, ''What do you want?''

The boy's startled gaze traveled from A.W.'s bare shoulder to her bare knees and back to her bare shoulder. Then he said, ''Uh, I know you wanted me to watch your dormouse. But he kept my parents up all night. So I had to bring him back to you, ASAP.''

The boy glanced apologetically at his watch. 'I realize it's only ten to eight,'' he said. ''...and you're not quite read...''

''What time?'' A.W. cried. _Ten to eight! That was on the list! Right now, she was supposed to...oh, right!_

''Thanks for the reminder,'' A.W. said. She took a step forward and put her hands on the boy's shoulders. She pulled him toward her and planted a firm kiss upon his lips.

A.W. was dimly aware of the fact that the boy's eyes were growing wide and googly. His arms fell to his sides, leaving the dormouse with nowhere to go but into A.W.'s arms. It leaped over to her, then scampered up to her shoulder.

''Thanks for the dormouse, too!'' A.W. said, cooing to the little critter and grinning. Then she stepped back into the loft and shut the door in the flummoxed boy's face. ''Whoever you are,'' she added as she walked back to Will's bedroom. ''Now, what was next? Oh, yes, pants!''

A.W. hurried to Will's closet and pulled out a pair of jeans. As she was stepping into them, Mom poked her head through the bedroom door. ''Yesterday, when I came home, you were Miss Sulky,'' she declared. ''Well today I'm staying home. Are you happy?''

''Uh...no, Mom,'' A.W. ventured.

''What?'' Mom said,''Is this the same Will who's always complaining that I work too much?''

''Okay, so, yes, Mom,'' A.W. declared. ''Is that better? Jeez!''

Before Susan could reply, the dormouse skittered across. A.W.'s shoulders and jumped onto the bed.

''Wait!'' A.W. cried, chasing the little thing as it scrambled under the blankets. A.W. burrowed into the bed after it. She found herself blinking at both the dormouse...and her list!

''Ah, here is is!'' A.W. exclaimed. When she emerged from the covers, her mother had left the room. A.W. sighed with relief and scanned Will's instructions.

''Oops,'' she whispered. ''At ten to eight, I was supposed to kiss Mom, not that boy.

And...uh-oh! _Number one on the list of Don't was Don't kiss any boys!''_

A.W. stared blankly at the wall. She'd done something wrong. But she didn't know what to do about it! There was nothing on Will's list about remedying big, fat mistakes.

A.W. thought for a moment. Or rather, she got as close to thinking as her astral drop mind would allow. Then she snapped her fingers.

_Wait a minute; Mom just said she's saying home. For me! And what else do moms do? They provide guidance. They tell you what to do. Perfect!_

A.W. walked back down the hall, zipping her jeans as she went. She peeked into the kitchen, where the real Will's mother was pulling a thermometer from her mouth and examining it.

''Mom?'' she queried. ''Have you ever been kissed by mistake?''

''What a question,'' Susan said. ''No. But if I had been, that kind of mistake would have been paid back with a slap!''

''Uh-huh,'' A.W. replied. She frowned for a moment in thought. Then she nodded and looked at her watch.

_Uh-oh!_

She was going to be late for class at the Sheffield Institute! She dashed to the front door and slipped her feet into some lug-soled leather shoes. Then she pulled her gray coat from its hook.

''Will,'' Susan said. ''Can you slow down for a minute? I want to tell you something.''

''Not now, Mom,'' A.W. replied. ''I have to make sure I stay on schedule!''

''You have a schedule?'' Susan asked with a bemused smile. ''Yet it takes a cannon shot to get you up in the morning.''

''Ah, that beep-beep-beep,'' A.W. said with a nod. ''So that was a cannon shot! I'll have to make a note of that.''

Susan got a funny look on her face. Then she noticed that A.W. was struggling with the zipper on her jacket. She zipped it up. She zipped it down. She zipped it up. She zipped it down. But the damned thing just stayed open!

''Let me do that,'' Susan said, walking over to A.W. She hooked the end of the jacket's zipper into a little slot. This time, the jacket zipped up and stayed closed.

''Cool,'' A.W. breathed.

''So, when you get home tonight,'' Susan said,''...there'll be a dinner guest here.''

''Uh-huh,'' A.W. said absently. Her eyes had just fallen upon the fragrant spread on the table. ''Hey, is that croissant for me?''

A.W. dashed over to the table and took a quick bite of the flaky, crescent roll.

_'Yuuuum!'_

''The thing is...our guest is going to be Kuiinshi.''

A.W. looked at Susan quizzically.

''So?'' she asked, a few crumbs spraying from her mouth as she did.

''Are you ok? I mean the last time we've all got together you didn't have the best reaction.''

''Is he nice? Does he make you happy?''

Susan was startled at the question. ''Well...'' She thought about it. A smile forming on her lips. ''Yeah...in his own crazy way he does.''

''Good!'' A.W. answered as she shuffled the last morsel of croissant into her mouth, she nodded with satisfaction.

''Have fun!'' A.W. added, giving Will's mom a thumbs-up.

''Have...fun?'' Susan sputtered back. She gave A.W. another strange look.

I wonder what the means? Perhaps I've done the wrong thing again?

But before she had a chance to ponder that idea, or check Will's list one more time, she glanced down at her watch. _'Oooh, only ten minutes to ride Will's red bike to school,_ she thought. _Must dash!'_

With that, A.W. put a big smile on her face and grabbed the bike out of the foyer of the loft. She flung open the front door and plunged further into Will Vandom's day. After the morning's adventures, she was sure everything would be a piece of cake. She still didn't know why Will had been so uptight. But, she wondered as she pedaled to school, I do hope I'm going in the right direction.


	10. Those Who Dwell in the Dark!

The Guardian's Kitsune

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NarutoxHarem

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Story Start

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Cornelia and her fellow Guardians were tromping up yet another cobble-stoned Metamoorian street skulking in the shadows of yet gloomier, imposing houses.

_'I wonder how long we've been here,'_ Cornelia thought with a sigh. _'If only we could use our powers to find the castle we on Irma's map. Hay Lin could fly us there on a pillow of air. Or Ira could create a river that would float us there. Or I could coax the trees to pass us from branch to branch until we reached the castle, well rested and fresh as daisies. '_

The image of tree branches bouncing the girls across the land of Metamoor was so comical Cornelia almost laughed out loud.

There was just one catch. She was way too tired and cranky to laugh.

''Irma,'' she finally said impatiently. ''Lemme see that map of Metamoor again. I aim to know if we're even remotely closer to Phobos's castle. We've been searching of hours.''

''All right, all right,'' Irma said. She began to rummage around insider her brown cloak. But she froze when a voice rang out in the street.

**''There she is!''**

Irma gasped and looked up. _'There he is,_' she cried.

Cornelia and her friends followed Irma's gaze. And what they discovered was not good.

A big, brooding, blue-skinned brute with red, greasy hair and a serious under-bite pointing at Irma. Not to mention he also had twenty-five green skinned soldiers with him.

''Yikes!'' Irma squealed. She turned on her heel and started running down the street.

''C'mon!'' She screamed over her shoulder to her friends. They began pounding after her. And then, the hulking, scaly army began pounding after them!

''Okay, Irma!'' Will demanded between huffs and puffs. ''Who's that guy? And more importantly, who's his army?''

''He's the vendor who sold me the map,'' Irma cried.

Hay Lin was running next to Irma. ''Obviously, he wasn't satisfied with your watch!'' She said, scowling suspiciously.

''I don't know why not!'' Irma declared. ''It's perfectly decent. I found it in the bottom of a cereal box.''

''Ugh!'' Cornelia said in disgust. Then she saw a staircase that veered off the narrow street.

''Up there!'' She screamed.

Will was the first to veer off and begin racing up the stairs. Even though the girls were running for their lives, Cornelia couldn't help but smile a tight, satisfied smile. For once, Will had followed her lead. So, why not try again?

''Will,'' she gasped as hey hurried up the stairs. ''Don't you think it's time to transform ourselves?''

''No,'' Will said, with a quick shake of her head. ''The right moment hasn't come yet.''

''What?' Cornelia yelled. ''Listen. You may hold the Heart of Kandarkar, but you're taking about _our _lives here!''

''I didn't ask for this responsibility,'' Will declared, shooting Cornelia a surly glance. ''But since I _am _the keeper of the Heart, there's nothing you can do but follow me.'' Cornelia was about to hurl a nasty retort at Will. But before she had the chance, the Guardians reached the top of the stairs.

They stopped cold. They had arrived at the top of a landing surrounded on three sides by looming, windless walls. It was a dead end!

_'A dead end that I led us to,'_ Cornelia thought with a gasp._ 'Um, Maybe Will has a point.' _Cornelia felt grateful that the other girls were looking to Will for guidance. Because, frankly, Cornelia had no idea how they were going to out of this fix. Especially with an army gaining on them every second.

''I hear them coming!"' Irma squeaked, peeking over her shoulder at the staircase. Cornelia, too, could hear the rumble of angry voices and the thunder of dozens of feet.

(Hooves/Claws)? Will stared in complete shock at the in climbable smooth walls towering about them.

''A staircase that ends in a blank wall?'' She breathed. ''How is that possible?''

A raspy voice suddenly echoed out of nowhere. **''Everything is possible, here in Metamoor,''** the voice declared.

Cornelia looked wildly around the alley.

''Wha...aaaah!'' She screeched.

The voice had come from a Hand. A fleshly hand clad in what looked like brown armadillo skin. The hand was not attached to an arm or any other body part. It jutted out of one of the stone tiles of the landing's floor, like a wild weed that had taken root in a cement sidewalk. The hand's plump forefinger waggled, beckoning the girls toward it. Then it pointed downward at a square of darkness on the floor. The whole landing was cloaked in shadow, but this particular part was pitch-black.

**''You have no alternative,'' **the creepy voice declared. **''Enter the shadow now!''**

Will cast a wild, fearful look at her fellow guardians. Then she glanced over her shoulder. Cornelia followed her faze. The leader of the pack of soldiers was only about twenty steps behind them.

''I saw them,'' he growled to the soldiers behind him. ''They're up there!''

''The hand is right,'' Will said, shaking her head in disbelief even to be uttering such a ridiculous phrase. ''We have no other choice.'' Without another word, Will ran three steps and jumped onto the black square.

Make that into the black square. Will plunged through the floor as if it were made of paper. Suddenly, she was gone. The remaining guardians gave each other quick glances. Then Irma started running. Hay Lin was on her heels. Taranee followed close behind and Cornelia was right behind her.

The Guardian of Earth was last to plunged into the shadow. She felt herself falling swiftly. But it wasn't a hurl-inducing free fall. Instead, Cornelia felt something buoying her up, like a virtual parachute, or some sort of safety net. Whatever the force was, it allowed Cornelia to land on another cold, stone floor as delicately as a bird. In the pitch-dark, Cornelia blindly felt around for her friends.

''Are we all here?'' Will asked.

''I'm here!'' Taranee stated.

''Here!'' Hay Lin piped.

''Me, too,'' Irma said.

''And me,'' Cornelia answered. ''Now, the real question is, are those guys going to be joining us, too?''

Together, the Guardians held their breath and braced themselves for the roar of soldiers tumbling after them. But a few moments of silence convinced Cornelia, at least, that they were safe relatively anyway.

''I can't believe this,'' Irma said. Suddenly, the crumbly voice...the voice of the hand that had spoken to the girls up on the landing...pierced the darkness.

**''Forget the laws of physics that regulate your world, Irma.''** It said.

''How do you know my name?'' Irma cried into blackness.

''Wait a minute,'' Will said. ''That voice...''

A dull, white light erupted in the center of the shadow. The light emanated from a small, glowing pyramid rested on the hand of.

''Mrs. Rudolph!'' The Guardians cried. They blinked in shock at their math-teacher-turned-monster. She was still in her Metamoorian shape. Jutting out her long, red dreadlocks were wide, floppy ears. Her face had a mass of crust jowls and in its center, a squashy snout. Dotting her fleshy neck were three red horns. Her eyes were blood-red. But they were also strangely, kind. As were Mrs. Rudolph's words.

**''I don't want to harm you, even if I should be angry with you,''** she announced, holding her source of light out towards the girls. **''You forced me to abandon my home on earth. But...well, you're still my former students, and I still care.'' **

With gratitude in her voice, Will said, ''You move well in the dark. Is this where you live now?''

**''This is not the dark,''** Mrs. Rudolph retorted. She let the pyramid go free, and it floated from her hand. It drifted out in front of her and began bobbing away. Mrs. Rudolph followed its light and the Guardians, followed her in silence.

**''This is only Metamoor's immense underworld,**'' the teacher explained.

Cornelia gazed above her. Mrs. Rudolph was right. They were surrounded by tall pillars and hardy crossbeams...an entire infrastructure that must have been supporting the city up.

''You're hiding down here,'' Will said to their teacher quietly. ''Just like you hid in our world. But from what?''

Over the dull glow of the pyramid Mrs. Rudolph addressed the girls, with weariness in her eyes and in her voice.

**''There's a cloud that covers our sky and the hearts of our people,''** she said sorrowfully. **''We are millions of black hearts. Anger. Desperation. This is Metamoor. This is the true darkness.''**

Cornelia hung her head. Mrs. Rudolph's despair was infectious. But then a thundering boom made her, and everyone else in their crew, jump! And then it came again!

Ftoooooom!

_'Okay,' _Cornelia thought dryly. '_So much for our soulful moment. Can't a Guardian get a moment of silence?'_

**'Ftoooom!'**

The noise was stronger now. Its thunder echoed through the cavernous space.

**'Those 'booms' are not a good thing,''** Mrs. Rudolph said gravely.** ''What shall we do? You must decide quickly. Even in Metamoor, time does catch up with you.''**

''What do you mean by that?' Will asked her. ''Is time different in Metamoor?''

**''Why... yes...''** Mrs. Rudolph said. **''In this prison like world, time passes much more slowly than it does on Earth.''**

''What?'' Will squeaked. ''So, one earth day equals how much Metamoor time?''

**''One or perhaps two weeks,''** Mrs. Rudolph said, shrugging her plump shoulders.

''Naruto!'' Will wailed, clapping her hand to her forehead. ''I've left him in the hands of those monsters for all that time?''

**''Don't blame yourself,''** Mrs Rudolph said to her. **''You couldn't know.''**

Suddenly, Hay Lin step toward the teacher.

''My question is, how do _you _know?'' she demanded coldly. ''How do you know why we're here? Who are you, really?''

Cornelia blinked in surprise at Hay Lin's display of suspicion.

_Of course, I guess I would be doubtful, too, if the last time I'd seen Mrs. Rudolph, she'd tied me up and thrown me in a closet._

Because that's exactly what Mrs. Rudolph had done when she'd caught Hay Lin and Irma sneaking around her house. It had been a desperate effort on Mrs. Rudolph's part to avoid being discovered as an Earth intruder. But the effort failed when Will and Naruto had discovered the girls and rescued them. That was the reason Mrs. Rudolph had fled to Metamoor.

But now, the teacher was not going to be cowed. After all, this was her turf. So, she merely gave Hay Lin an impassive gaze and announced, 'Today's lesson has come to an end, girls. The bell is ringing.''

Mrs. Rudolph began to shimmer away! In an instant, she'd evaporated, like a puff of steam. And the moment she was gone, another ftooom rang through the underworld. The girls dodged a sudden shower of rocks, which was followed by a shaft of light.

Terrified, Cornelia clung to her friends and peered upward. A large hole was breaking through the ceiling. Peering down through that opening were the venomous snake-creature and his blue sidekick, Vathek!

Cornelia cringed and got ready to scream. But then she realized something. When Mrs. Rudolph had disappeared, she'd taken her glowing pyramid with her. Once again, the Guardians were cloaked in darkness. As long as they stayed away from the shafts of sunlight shining down into their hiding place, they were as good as invisible. That is if everyone stayed quiet.

''Ah...'' Irma began to scream. Cornelia reached over and clapped her hand over Irma's mouth. ''Shhhh,'' she whispered to all the girls.

''Let's hear what the bad guys have to say.''

They didn't have to wait long. Vathek let forth a guttural laugh and announced, **''Ha! I've opened a crevice!"**

**''Wonderful work, Vathek,'' **the snake-man replied calmly. Cornelia watched his face contort itself into a ghastly grin as he peered down into the darkness. **''Now all we have to do is find them!''**

Deep within the shadows of Metamoor's underworld, Will clutched at her friends in terror. The snake-man and Vathek were lurking above them, threatening to drop down upon them at any minute.

_'Once again, we're in hiding,' _Will thought. '_And once again, we're fleeing.'_

Will hung her head and heaved a shuddered sigh.

_'When will this end? When we're sitting in a cell next to Naruto?' _Suddenly she gasped. She turned to her friends and whispered to them excitedly: '''I have an idea. It seems like a crazy one, but you'll have to trust me. Are you with me?''

''Of course,'' Hay Lin squeaked into the darkness.

''I'm with you Will...'' Taranee stated.

''You got it,'' Irma said.

From Cornelia, there was a skeptical silence. Will held her breath. If Cornelia refused, her plan couldn't possibly work. She braced herself for one of Cornelia's trademark barbs, or a shrill argument. But what she got instead was so surprising it moved her almost to tears.

Cornelia reached out through the blackness and found Will's hand...her right hand, the one that housed the Heart of Kandrakar. She squeezed it. And then, the most reluctant Guardian uttered one simple word.

''Yes."

''All right!"' Will whispered. ''Follow me.'' The girls began creeping up a long stairway that seemed to be leading directly to the ugly gash Vathek had made in the ceiling. Will swallowed hard as the Guardians got closer to the light. With every step, her fear intensified.

But when she saw the giant, long-chinned serpent at the top of the stairs, her fear melted away. It was replaced by a wave of pure and absolute anger. **''So,''** the snake-creature was saying to his craggy, blue henchman. **''We'll go down there and search.''**

The lump in Will's throat dissolved. In fact, with her friends behind her, she felt as though she could let forth a shout that all of Metamoor would. But she didn't to. The beast's slithery tail was only inches from her face. So, Will merely announced, ''Don't bother! We're right here.'' The serpentine creature turned to gape at her. His eyes narrowed behind his red mask.

**''You!''** He growled.

''We have nothing to say to each other,''' Will said. She heard the other girls catch their breath behind her. She knew they were wondering how this could be a good idea. But she pressed on: ''If you care to do anything to us, do it now!''

**''Don't mind if I do,'' **the creature said with a casual cackle. He waved his scaly hand at the girls. Will gasped as she felt her feet fly out from under her. Then she caught herself, just before her face banged into a pane of glass that had suddenly popped up before her.

In fact, the glass had formed a sphere all around her. She was floating in a bubble! But this one wasn't soft and pliant like the air bubble Irma had created for them. It was cold and smooth and flawless. It was also, Will realized as she pounding on the hard surface with her fists, impenetrable. There was another difference, too. While the Guardians had shared Irma's air bubble, now each one hovered...eyes wide with terror...in a spherical cage of her own.

**''Here are your prisons, Guardians,'' **He said to the girls with a menacing cackle.

In response, Will just glared at the monster. In the bubble cage next to hers, she saw frantic tears welling up in Hay Lin's eyes. Irma was speechless. She simply clutched her knees within her bubble shivered.

The villain laughed at their fear. But the grotesque Vathek, peering into their glass cages with his beady little eyes, seemed utterly bewildered.

**''I don't understand,'**' he said to his master. '**'Why did they allow themselves to be captured so easily?''**

**''This world is immense,'' **his master replied dismissively. **''They have chosen the fastest route to a reunion with the other prisoner.''**

Will gasped. How could this beast have known? And now, her friends knew her plan also. She snuck shy glances at them.

Hay Lin's tears had dried and she flashed Will a defiant smile! Taranee nodded, her eyes still showing confidence in their leader. Irma gave Will a thumbs-up. Even Cornelia arched her eyebrows in surprise. She was impressed! Will couldn't help smiling for a split second.

Of course, this feel-good moment lasted only for a second. Then the creature stepped in, as usual, with a buzz will.

**''I will grant you your wish...''**he said, swooping his snaky head down to make eye contact with Will. ''**And _you _Will, shall give me the Heart of Kandrakar!''**

_'Never!' _Will thought. But again, she refused to speak. Ignoring her silence, the towering Villain rose up on his curly tail and announced: **''First, though, there is someone who wants to see you personally.''**

He waved a meaty green arm, and suddenly Will was knocked off balance again! Her bubble, along with hose of her friends, began skidding forward on a swath of whiteness. It was...snow!

_'We're on a sleigh ride, now?' _Will though indignantly.

''What's happening?'' she asked, as the girls sped through the snow. The snake-creature zipped along next to them, moving dozens of yards forward with every flick of his powerful tail. ''Where are you taking us?''

**''Nowhere,''** the monster spat. **''The place you are about to see is denied to you. This is only a projection of...Phobos's garden.''**

As the world's left the creature's mouth, the girls' bubbles swooped up off the ground. The blinding whiteness of the snow disappeared and was replaced with visions of such color, and such scope, that Will could only blink at them in disbelief!

The Guardians' bubbles bobbled by a tree with a hundred sinuous trunks. Burnt-orange ferns waved and bowed. The Guardians saw mushrooms of the deepest burgundy; flowers that looked like ruffled lions' manes; sunflowers with petals of scarlet; egg planted-colored rocks.

''It's...it's...'' Irma stammered.

''**It's useless to try to define it,'' **the snake man said with a leer. ''**Everything here is inspired by pure perfection.''**

''If it's so perfect,'' Will retorted, ''...then why do I have the creeps?''

It was true. Though her bubble was no longer skimming through snow, Will was still cold. Sadness dappled the flowers as surely as did sunlight. And, somehow, Will could feel that melancholy herself.

''Maybe you're scared because everything you see is _lethal,''_ the snake-man sneered. ''Now, be quiet. Here they are. The murmurers!'

_'The what?_' Will thought.

**'These are the members of Phobos's court,''** the monster continued. **''They are the voices and eyes of the prince of princes!"**

The snake-creature clamped his thin-lipped mouth shut. For a moment, the garden was silent. But then, Will heard a low humming. No, not a humming. A hissing. A...whisper!

_''You...Guardians...'' _hundreds of ethereal voices said. _''You guardians...earth...Guardians...earth.''_

Will gasped. Figures were beginning to unfurl form the flowers! An elfin, golden creature with long fingers and hair like Spanish moss emerged from beneath a yellow stone. A sinuous blue female stepped form a bell-like bloom. Everywhere, the Murmurers were crawling into the open. This one with gleaming purple skin, that lone with a long, turquoise mane, and still another with a body that was the bark of a tree.

''Their voices are barely whispers,'' Hay Lin exclaimed, as the creatures continued to murmur. ''They're almost thoughts.''

**''What you see dims your other senses. Close your eyes and listen.''**

Though she was loath to do the snake-creature's bidding. Will was too curious to refuse the order. She squeezed her eyes shut. The murmurs swirled into her head.

_''You, earth Guardians...not worthy to approach us...may your end be quick...May the Oracle learn to respect us...''_

As the whispers drifted away, Will's eyes opened. She watched the Murmurers retreat back into their foliage.

''I don't understand,'' she cried.

**''It's not important that you understand,'' **the beast said. **''What is important is that they have seen you. And now, you will see something else...the prison of Metamoor!''**

Will cringed as their bubbles went for yet another swooping ride. But she barely had a chance to find her balance in her spherical cage before it came to a halt again. The four Guardians found themselves floating in a line of tall turret constructed of stone seemingly endless walls were interrupted at points by tall, arched niches. ''What a dreary place,'' Irma declared, Gazing sullenly through her glass walls. ''I bet those beauties in the garden don't know anything about it.''

**''They do not exist to live in Phobos's Castle.'' **He was looming before the girls, glaring down at them from a great height. **''They live beyond its walls.''**

''And you?'' Will asked tauntingly. ''Where is your place?''

**''Here, for now. Until, that is, you hand over the Heart of Kandrakar. Save yourself from the suffering you'll endure if you refuse!''**

''Forget it!'' Will answered, turning her back. A moment later, she heard a reply. But it didn't come from the snake-creature. The voice was thin, girlish, and full of sarcasm.

''Wrong answer, Will!''

Will gasped. _'Elyon!' _She spun around and stared at her former friend, who was walking into the turret from a long, dark hallway. Both her white cloak and ice eyes made Will shiver. But the thing hovering near Elyon made Will positively jump. It was another prison bubble. And floating within it was none other than Naruto.

''Naruto!'' Will screamed.

''Yes!'' Elyon declared.

Out of the corner of her eye, Will saw the beast slither over to Elyon and hiss at her angrily. But Elyon just grinned and pointed smugly at Will.

Will didn't stop to wonder what the villains were whispering about. She had eyes for only one person.

''Naruto! Are you okay!?''

Naruto opened his eyes as a smile slowly formed on his face. ''I'm fine Will. I'm fine."


End file.
